

Allergy - Diagnosis And Treatment

allergic allergen sometimes allergies

The patient's medical history provides the primary basis for the diagnosis of allergies. Skin patch tests are sometimes used to determine exactly which potential allergens can produce a reaction in the patient. A group of substances are placed in patches under the skin; any actual allergen will raise a weal (a red, circular swelling) at the site of the patch. The weal is a circular area of swelling that itches and is reddened. The tests at times produce false positives, so that they cannot be relied on exclusively.






Adelman, Daniel C., and Thomas B. Casale. Manual of Allergy and Immunology: Diagnosis and Therapy. 4th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Publishers, 2002.

Joneja, Janice Vickerstaff, and Leonard Bielory. Understanding Allergy, Sensitivity, & Immunity. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1990.

Steinman, Marion. A Parent's Guide to Allergies and Asthma. New York: Dell Publishing, 1992.


American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, 85 West Algonquin Rd., Suite 550, Arlington Heights, IL 60005. 1–800–842–7777. <http://allergy.mcg.edu> (October 19, 2002).


National Institutes of Health. "The National Institue of Allergy and Infectious Diseases" <http://www.niaid.nih.gov/default.htm> (October 19, 2002).

Jordan P. Richman




—An otherwise harmless substance that can cause a hypersensitive allergic response.

Anaphylactic shock

—A violent, sometimes fatal, response to an allergen after initial contact.


—Drugs that stimulate the adrenal gland and are highly effective in treating asthma and allergies but also have many side effects.


—Drugs used for a short term to reduce mucous membrane congestion.




—The chief immunoglobulin responsible for producing the compounds that cause allergic reactions.


—A white blood cell that stimulates antibody formation.

Mast cell

—A tissue white blood cell located at the site of small blood vessels.

Receptor sites

—Places on the mast cell where Y-shaped antibodies stimulate histamine production.




—The reddened, itchy swelling caused by a skin patch test.

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