Testing for Hives

At times the cause of hives is easy to recognize because they will occur as soon as the offending trigger is eaten or touched. However in some cases, the medical experts need to perform several tests to confirm the skin disorder. The doctor usually takes a complete medical history of the patient and his family. It is important for patient to maintain a dairy if allergy is believed to be the cause of hives. In some cases the cause of the hives is not particular.

A single occurrence of uncomplicated hives does not usually require extensive testing. Hives that is complicated and causes swelling or trouble breathing requires immediate evaluation sin the emergency room. For uncomplicated hives, your doctor will evaluate for possible causes. Chronic hives should be evaluated by an allergist immunologist. The doctor will take detailed information about the patient work and home environment along with the medication he is taking. In some cases patients require x- rays or tests to analyze blood and urine. Allergy skin testing can provide useful information in some cases of hives. When the patient suspects vasculitis, a skin biopsy can be helpful.

Tests for hives:

If the cause of your hives isn't clear or if your symptoms recur often, your physician may recommend some allergy skin test.

1. Puncture, prick or scratch test: It is one of the common skin test, in this test; tiny drops of purified allergen extracts are pricked or scratched on the skin surface of the patient. It is mostly performed to identify allergies to animal, pollen, dander, foods, penicillin and insect toxin.
2. Intradermal test: In this test purified allergen extracts are injected into the skin of your arm. This test is usually performed if your doctor believes that you're allergic to insect venom or penicillin.
3. Patch test: In this test an allergen is applied to a patch, which is then placed on the patient's skin. This test can identify substances that cause a reaction when comes in contact with the skin.

Physicians usually test for hives when they suspect that an allergen is irritating the patient's skin. This is usually performed in young children, or in adults who have a history of allergic reactions. If the physician suspects that the hives are not caused by allergies, then the above mentioned tests will be performed including blood tests and skin biopsies to rule out skin infections, skin cancer and other possible diseases. These tests are usually performed when the person has not had a previous allergic reaction, does not remember coming into contact with any substance that could cause an allergic reaction, and has hives that are accompanied by corrugated lumps that last for days or cause bruising.