Allergies can occur to anyone, anytime. Allergies can affect our daily activities and reduce our quality of lives.
Allergies occur when the body’s immune system reacts to a usual harmless substance (known as an allergen). Allergen normally do not cause any issues in most people, however, in allergic individuals, the body’s immune system identifies the allergen as a threat and mount an inappropriate response to it. This is known as an allergic reaction.
Allergies can occur in numerous types, affecting various parts of the body. Types of allergies include skin allergy, food allergy, hay fever, allergic rhinitis, eye allergy, insect stings allergies, latex allergy, pet allergies, and drug allergies.
You may notice someone in your family has allergies too. Allergies can be hereditary. Allergies are more common in people with an atopy background, with a positive family and personal history of allergic rhinitis, eczema, and or asthma.
Though allergies are more common in children, it can happen at any age. Allergies can resolve over time, and recur many years later.
Often, identifying and avoiding offending allergens that cause allergic symptoms are effective. Having said that, there are times when allergens are unavoidable as part and parcel of our lives. The use of medical therapies and having an emergency action plan for severe allergic reactions are important.
Medications that are useful against allergies include antihistamines, decongestions, and corticosteroids. These medications are used to alleviate allergic symptoms.
Immunotherapy is a preventive strategy for certain types of allergies. It works by allowing your body to be acclimatized and de-sensitized towards an allergy. This is performed by gradual introduction of allergic substances in an increasing dose into a person via oral, sublingual (under-tongue tablets or spray) or injection shots. Immunotherapy is particularly useful in allergies against dust mites, certain insect stings allergies, grass pollens.
DB Medical offers a myriad of comprehensive allergy service, tailor to your individual needs and concerns.
Feel free to give us a call, drop us an email, or head down to our clinic for further enquiry.
Speak to your doctor about your individual concerns and allergy conditions. Your doctor will discuss in detail with you on the pros and cons of each test before advice further.
This is a blood-taking procedure performed via your trained doctor or phlebotomist. The RAST blood test detects specific IgE antibodies produced against specific allergens. There is a wide range of allergen panels that can be tested through RAST IgE antibodies blood tests.
Is RAST Blood Test Suitable for Me?
You can consider if:
How Long Can I Get my RAST Blood Test Results?
It takes approximately 1-2 weeks for the results to be ready after laboratory processing.
This is a relatively simple, and accurate way of detecting an allergy. Skin Prick Test is a procedure performed over the inner forearm or the upper back of a person. It involves marking the tested skin area, following the introduction of allergens into the skin via small sterile needles that penetrates the skin surface. The test is later interpreted by your doctor for any evidence of raised red bumps and swelling.
What are the Common Side Effects is Skin Prick Test?
The test is offered in a clinic setting with close monitoring from your health care providers.
Most people tolerated the procedure well with minimal pain and without any bleeding, though some may experience mild itch and redness over-tested skin area.
Severe reaction to skin prick test is uncommon.
Is Skin Prick Test Suitable for Me?
Skin prick test is not suitable for
How Long Can I Get my Skin Prick Test Results?
This procedure takes approximately 20-30 minutes.
Some allergic medications (such as antihistamine- piriton, cetirizine, loratadine etc) can affect skin prick test results. Long term medications such as antidepressants may interfere the results as well. Please inform your doctor on all the medications that you are consuming.
When Skin Prick Test is performed correctly, it is relatively reliable. However, you may have a negative skin prick test, yet develop allergy later on in life. This is known as a false negative. There are a few explanations:
Your body may develop a new allergy over time due to repetitive exposure to the allergens.
You may be consuming certain medications that lead to a false-negative result.
Physician variability- Skin prick test is performed by doctors who are human with invariably slight deviation in their methods and skills.
RAST Blood Test has the edge of having a test result that is not interfered by medicine that the person is taking. However, there is a chance of false positive (A positive test, yet, the patient has no allergy symptoms when exposed to the allergen). This may cause unnecessary confusion and anxiety to patients.
It varies individually, depending on new onset of allergy symptoms and possible associated new allergen triggers.
You will need to check with your insurance company.
Allergy Testing- worthwhile to proceed? Remember, allergy testing does not diagnose allergies. It should be interpreted prudently together with one’s medical condition and symptoms, and to aid diagnosing allergy.
INHALANT SKIN PRICK TEST
BLOMIA TROPICALIS | ASPERGILLUS FUMIGATUS | CAT DANDER | DOG DANDER | COCKROACH (AMERICAN) |
D. FARINAE | ALTERNARIA ALTERNATA | RAGWEED | BERMUDA GRASS | COCKROACH (GERMAN) |
D. PTERONYSSINUS | PENICILLIUM NOTATUM | TIMOTHY GRASS | MUGWORT |
FOOD SKIN PRICK TEST
SHRIMP | WHEAT FLOUR | TUNA |
CRAB | SOYA FLOUR | SALMON |
CHICKEN | ALMOND | PEANUT |
COCOA | EGG | COW’S MILK |
INHALANT PANEL 1:
GREER | ASPERGILLUS FUMIGATUS | BERMUDA GRASS | BAHIA GRASS |
BLOMIA TROPICALIS | ALTERNARIA ALTERNATA | COMMON RAGWEED | JOHNSON GRASS |
D. FARINAE | CURVULARIA LUNATA | TIMOTHY GRASS | DOG DANDER |
D. PTERONYSSINUS | COCKROACH (GERMAN) | CAT DANDER |
INHALANT PANEL 2:
ALTERNARIA ALTERNATA | ASPERGILLUS FUMIGATUS | CANDIDA ALBICANS |
CLADOSPORIUM HERBARUM | PENICILLIUM NOTATUM |
ECZEMA PANEL:
CAT DANDER | COW’S MILK | HAZEL NUT |
DOG DANDER | EGG WHITE | CHICKEN |
PEANUT | SHRIMP | D. PTERONYSSINUS |
SOYA BEAN | FISH(COD) |
PAEDIATRIC:
YEAST | WHEAT | CORN | CHICKEN |
COCOA | RICE | PEANUT | SHRIMP |
FISH(COD) | GLUTEN | SOYA BEAN | COW’S MILK |
ANCHOVIES (IKAN BILIS) | SESAME SEED | EGG WHITE |
FOOD PANEL – SEAFOOD:
ANCHOVIES (IKAN BILIS) | CLAM | CRAB | FISH(COD) |
SALMON | SHRIMP | SQUID | TUNA |
FOOD PANEL – SHELLFISH:
BLUE MUSSEL | CLAM | CRAB | LOBSTER |
OYSTER | SCALLOP | SHRIMP | SQUID |
NUTS PANEL:
ALMOND | BRAZIL NUT | HAZEL NUT | MACADAMIA NUT |
PEANUT | PINE NUT | PISTACHIO | WALNUT |
ASTHMA PANEL:
BLOMIA TROPICALIS | CAT DANDER | EGG WHITE |
D. FARINAE | DOG DANDER | WHEAT |
D. PTERONYSSINUS | PEANUT | CHICKEN |
SOYA BEAN | COW’S MILK |
GASTRO PANEL:
PEANUT | WHEAT | CHICKEN |
SOYA BEAN | GLUTEN | |
COW’S MILK | EGG WHITE |
COMPREHENSIVE ALLERGY SCREENING:
D. PTERONYSSINUS | ASPERGILLUS FUMIGATUS | MUGWORT | HAMSTER EPITHELIUM |
D. FARINAE | ALTERNARIA ALTERNATA | TIMOTHY GRASS | DOG DANDER |
COCKROACH (GERMAN) | CLADOSPORIUM HERBARIUM | JOHNSON GRASS | CAT DANDER |
COCKROACH (AMERICAN) | PEANUT | BERMUDA GRASS | SALMON |
KIWI | SOYA BEAN | WHEAT FLOUR | FISH(COD) |
AVOCADO | SESAME | MAIZE FLOUR | TUNA |
APPLE | COCONUT | BAKER’S YEAST | HAZEL NUT |
PEACH | MUSTARD SEED | RICE | CASHEW NUT |
BANANA | PEA | GLUTEN | ALMOND |
COW’S MILK | CRAB | ONION | |
GOAT’S MILK | SQUID | GARLIC | |
BEEF | BLUE CRAB | CELERY | |
CHICKEN | OYSTER | TOMATO | |
PORK | SHRIMP(PACIFIC) | EGG |
The same medication may not cause any reaction to a person, yet may cause unforeseen allergic reactions to another person.
Allergy Immunotherapy modifies a person’s body immune response towards allergens, hence easing allergy symptoms.
Recognizing the signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis are important. This can be life-saving.
The body defence mechanism has mistaken certain protein in certain food as a threat
Checking the skin or nail lesion with wood lamp involves shining a hand-held wood lamp device on the area of concern by your physician.
Cryotherapy or colloquially known as ‘cold therapy’ is a procedure that uses liquid nitrogen to deliver freezing cold temperature locally to destroy and remove abnormal skin lesion.
Electrocautery is a bedside procedure where your doctor will use an ‘electric pen’ to deliver high frequency electric current onto the skin to generate heat in order to stop bleeding or remove abnormal skin cells
A steroid injection is simple bedside procedure where your doctor will inject minute amount of steroid onto the skin.
Skin cancer screening is usually performed by your physician using a dermatoscope. Dermatoscope is a medical magnifying glass that allows your physician to visualize the size and shape of the mole that you are concerned of.
Fungal scrape and bacterial culture tests allow physician to confirm or debunk fungal/bacterial diagnosis of skin condition
Skin tags are benign. They are also known as acrochordons medically. They are small, soft overgrowth of the skin commonly located among the face, eyelids neck, armpit, groin, breasts and buttock folds.
An excision biopsy is a bedside procedure where your doctor uses a surgical blade to remove the entire skin lesion under the use of local anaesthesia.
A shave biopsy a bedside procedure where your doctor uses a surgical superficial shaving blade to remove the skin lesion under the use of local anaesthesia.
A skin biopsy, or punch biopsy, is a bedside surgical procedure where your physician will use a small knife ‘puncher’ to obtain a small skin sample under local anaesthesia.
Herpes zoster, commonly referred to as shingles, is a painful blistering rash caused by the varicella-zoster virus— the same virus that causes chickenpox.
Seborrheic Dermatitis is a common chronic inflammatory condition of the skin. It is categorized as a type of chronic eczema, affecting the body area that has more sebaceous glands. characterized by red, greasy scaly patches.
Living in a hot humid climate of Singapore, fungal infection of the skin is common. The fungus thrives and favors body areas that are moist and warm such as the armpit, breast folds, groin, buttocks, feet, toes or even nails.
Eczema is a common inflammation condition of the skin. Although eczema can occur any time in one’s life, it typically starts presenting when one is a child.
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition. It is a common skin disease that can affect 1 in 50 people.
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