The Bedroom

Testing/RAST

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ALLERGY FACTS

TESTING
Until the discovery of IgE, the skin test was the major diagnostic tool for allergies. With this method, approximately 50 to 200 tiny scratches, or pricks, or needle sticks are made - usually on the upper back or arm - with small amounts of suspected allergens. After an appropriate time period (10-30 minutes), the skin is observed for any reaction.

RAST
Soon after the IgE antibody was discovered, researchers began to work on a new kind of test, generally referred to as RAST. Today, after years of clinical testing, RAST is used to help doctors identify the cause of your allergy.

RAST is a laboratory procedure which utilizes a test tube, rather than a needle stick reaction, as in skin tests.

A small sample of your blood is mixed with different allergens and observed for a chemical reaction. The laboratory's equipment and computers analyze the reaction and measure the amount of IgE for each allergen. Results are grouped in classes from zero (negative) to six (high positive). Your doctor will discuss the importance of these results with you.