Understanding your Allergies

Allergies can certainly be life-threatening, but for most people they are merely annoying. For many, occasional sneezing, itching and watery eyes is no big deal. Others grow accustomed to the inconvenience and accept it as part of spring or fall, even if their symptoms are more severe and include skin allergy, hives, asthma, or more.

"It's a quality of life issue," says Ferguson. "It's interesting how impaired people with allergies are. Some are just a little bit, but others have serious effects. I think if you are a productive person, you would want to treat your allergies and be as productive as possible."

"I didn't seek treatment earlier because my allergies had just become a way of life," remembers Crawford. "You just get used to it--I had severe allergies and I didn't even know it. Now I realize how much treatment has improved my quality of life. I should have done it years earlier--it was definitely worth it."

Allergy Relief

The first step in handling seasonal allergies and getting some relief from allergy symptoms is a visit to an allergist. The doctor will begin by taking a detailed medical history. From that, he or she can establish a list of suspected allergens including pollen. To confirm the diagnosis or figure out puzzling allergy symptoms, the doctor may order an allergy skin test

With this test the practitioner makes a series of punctures, each containing a small amount of one suspect allergen in solution, in a grid pattern across the surface of the patient's back. If the patient is allergic to any of the allergens, a raised red spot like a hive, called a "wheal and flare," will appear after about 20 minutes, at that site.

Allergy Control Testing

Depending on the patient's history, a person may be tested for as few as six allergens or as many as 80. Beware of physicians who suggest testing for 200 to 300 allergens, says Berrilyn Ferguson, M.D., an associate professor and otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat doctor) at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. At that quantity, the skin may react to everything and the test will be useless.

A more sensitive test--the intradermal test--works by injecting a drop of extract into the skin. "The intradermal test is advisable if the puncture test is negative, to avoid a serious overdose reaction," says Paul Turkeltaub, M.D., director of the division of allergenic products and parasitology in FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.