Why should you take an allergy test?

One in three Europeans already suffers from an allergy - and the number is rising. Allergies are therefore one of the most common chronic diseases and are often associated with unpleasant restrictions on quality of life.

However, many sufferers are unaware that certain symptoms indicate an allergy. In particular, supposedly mild symptoms such as sneezing or burning eyes are often not taken seriously and the consequences are underestimated.

Symptoms of an allergy

• Swelling and redness, especially on mucous membranes
• Runny nose and sneezing
• Tingling, burning and tears in the eyes
• Often headaches, breathing difficulties, fatigue and diarrhoea

An untreated allergy can lead to a worsening of the symptoms in the long term. If, for example, a pollen allergy remains undetected for a long time, bronchial symptoms can be added to the initial hay fever. A so-called floor change takes place. The symptoms intensify and migrate from the upper to the lower airways. A cough can therefore develop into asthma.

With the scientifically based and comprehensive diagnostics of the igevia Allergy Test, allergy triggers are precisely determined and those affected can take targeted countermeasures in good time.

Is a blood test more useful than a skin test?

A blood test tests many more allergens at the same time. A blood test can also be useful if the previous skin test did not give a reliable result.

This can be the case if

• the prick test is influenced by medication (e.g. anti-histamines),
• the reaction cannot be reliably read off the skin or
• the skin was hypersensitive.

Pollen allergy sufferers in particular often experience symptoms not only during the season but also when eating certain foods. In these cases it is a pollen-associated food allergy or cross-allergy. It occurs when the body reacts allergically to substances that are similar in structure to the original trigger of the allergy.

An example of a cross-allergy is birch and apple, which both belong to the PR-10 allergen family. It is possible that a birch pollen allergy sufferer may also experience allergic symptoms when eating an apple. The igevia Allergy Test will tell you whether you have cross-allergies.