Identify Your Allergens and Get Treatment Quicker

Ranjit Grewal, MD at Houston Family MD in Cypress, Texas, offer comprehensive allergy testing. Identifying your allergies is the first step to feeling better.

Allergy symptoms

Allergy symptoms typically develop within a few minutes of exposure to the substance you’re allergic to, but sometimes, they develop slowly over a few hours. Most allergy reactions are mild, but severe reactions called anaphylaxis can occur.

Common allergy reaction symptoms include:

• Sneezing, runny, or blocked nose
• Hives
• Red, itchy, and watering eyes
• Chest tightness, shortness of breath, wheezing, and coughing
• Swollen tongue, lips, face, or eyes
• Red, dry, and cracked skin
• Feeling sick, stomachache, diarrhea, or vomiting

Anaphylaxis symptoms include any of the above, plus difficulty breathing, swelling of the mouth and throat, or lightheadedness. Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening emergency that needs immediate medical care.

How are allergens identified?

Dr. Grewal and our team can perform skin testing and blood work for adults and children to diagnose allergies. Skin and blood allergy tests detect your sensitivity to certain foods, common inhalants, medication, or other substances.

Diagnosing your specific allergies allows our team to determine the most effective treatment.

Types of allergy tests

There are several types of allergy tests, including:

Blood tests

At Houston Family MD, Dr. Grewal uses allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) blood testing to identify allergens. Your body produces antibodies to fight infections or allergen threats. The blood test measures the number of antibodies in your blood and shows what is causing the body to react.

Skin prick allergy testing

Dr. Grewal makes tiny scratches or pricks in your skin to make it easier to absorb liquid. She then places a drop of liquid containing a potential allergen onto the skin. If you are allergic, the skin becomes raised, itchy, and red.

Skin patch testing

For allergies to latex or other substances on your skin, skin patch allergy testing involves placing a pad containing an allergen solution against your skin for 24-72 hours. The skin is then checked for a reaction.

Intradermal allergy testing

Intradermal tests are the most sensitive allergy tests that can detect allergies other tests may miss. However, it can produce false-positive results. Dr. Grewal injects a solution containing a potential allergen into your skin to watch for a reaction.

Treatment for allergies

Knowing what causes your allergic reactions is the first step in treating the problem. Allergy treatments vary depending on what you are allergic to but may include:

• Avoiding the allergen 
• Immunotherapy to desensitize your immune system
• Antihistamines
• Decongestants
• Creams
• Steroids

Our team prescribes special injectors containing adrenaline if you’re at risk for anaphylaxis. If you develop allergic reactions such as difficulty breathing, you should inject yourself in your outer thigh and immediately seek emergency medical assistance.

To discover the cause of your allergy symptoms, schedule an appointment online or call Houston Family MD for allergy testing today.