Comprehensive Diagnostic Testing for Children and Adults
Spring Valley Allergy & Immunology offers comprehensive allergy testing for children and adults.
Allergy testing can help identify the substances responsible for symptoms such as sneezing, congestion, hives, eczema, and allergic reactions to foods or medications. At Spring Valley Allergy & Immunology in Washington, DC, Dr. David Jeong offers diagnostic testing for children and adults. Depending on your symptoms and medical history, testing may include skin prick testing, patch testing, blood testing, or supervised allergy challenges.
Skin Prick & Intradermal Testing
Skin testing can be used to diagnose environmental allergies to pollen, dust mites, mold, animal dander, mold spores, cockroaches, and feathers. It is also used to diagnose food allergies.
Patch Testing
Patch testing is available for the evaluation of allergic contact dermatitis.
Pulmonary Function Testing
Pulmonary function testing is available for patients being evaluated for conditions such as asthma and other respiratory symptoms.
Oral Food Challenges
Oral food challenges are the gold standard diagnostic test for food allergies, offered when the history and allergy testing are inconclusive, if a food allergy appears to be resolved, and to measure response to food allergy treatments.
Drug Challenges
Oral drug challenges are also available when appropriate as part of the evaluation of suspected drug allergies.
Allergy Blood Testing
- Allergen-specific IgE
- Allergen-specific IgG4
- Basophil activation testing
- Testing for immune deficiencies and other immune disorders
How to Prepare for Allergy Skin Testing
- Please stop your oral antihistamines 1 week before your appointment so that skin testing can be completed accurately. Examples include Zyrtec, Allegra, Claritin, Xyzal, Benadryl, Pepcid, cetirizine, fexofenadine, loratadine, levocetirizine, diphenhydramine, chlorpheniramine, brompheniramine, hydroxyzine, famotidine, and any other generic equivalents. Please note that many OTC cough and cold medications contain antihistamines.
- Please stop nasal antihistamine sprays (Dymista, Astepro, Patanase, azelastine-fluticasone, azelastine, and olopatadine), if applicable, 2 days before your next appointment so that skin testing can be completed.
- It is ok to continue all asthma inhalers, nasal steroid sprays (e.g. Flonase, fluticasone, Nasacort, Nasonex, Rhinocort) and Singulair (montelukast), as these medications do not affect allergy testing results.
- If you are unable to stop your antihistamines prior to your appointment due to ongoing symptoms, it is ok to continue your medications without stopping. At your appointment, we will discuss allergy testing by blood work or establishing a treatment plan right away with plans to perform skin testing for allergies at a later time.
- Some medications used for mental health conditions contain antihistamine properties. Please do not stop these medications for the purpose of allergy testing unless your prescribing provider has deemed it safe to stop for at least 10 days.
If you are uncertain whether any medications you take contain antihistamines, please call our clinic for further guidance.
Link to: Contact Spring Valley Allergy & Immunology
