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- Your appointment
Allergy investigation can be complex and time-consuming. We try to ensure appointments run to time, but this is not always possible. Please allow at least 1-2 hours for your appointment.
If you are attending for investigation of a reaction, please try to record what you had eaten with ingredients and what you were doing in the 4-6 hours before the reaction started plus if you had taken any medications in the 24 hours beforehand. Feel free to bring any product ingredient listings with you.
Allergy testing may be undertaken with skin prick testing or specific IgE testing (blood test). Some patients may require further appointments for investigation with food or drug challenges.
Skin prick testing involves placing separate drops of solutions of allergen extract onto the skin of your forearm and then using a very fine lancet to prick through the drop into the skin. A positive test results in a small, raised wheal. Results are known within 15-20 minutes. It is safe but has to be performed in a hospital environment. You should not take any anti-histamines, if possible, for 3-7 days before your appointment. Ideally you should also not apply any creams e.g. moisturisers to your forearms on the day of your appointment.
- Improving Quality in Allergy Services (IQAS)
Improving Quality in Allergy Services (IQAS) is the accreditation programme for adult allergy services in the UK. Services undergo a programme of quality improvement before receiving a rigorous assessment against the IQAS standards.
Services which are shown to meet the standards are granted accreditation. We are currently working towards meeting these standards. Please contact us if you would like to assist us by getting involved, sharing your experiences, and becoming part of our team!
Contact email: allergy&immunologynurses@lthtr.nhs.uk
Contact phone number: 01772 522130
Further information is available from https://www.iqas.org.uk/
- Helpful Resources
Anaphylaxis campaign (patient support)
Allergy UK
British Society for Allergy & Clinical Immunology
European Academy of Allergy & Clinical Immunology
- Referral Guidance and Management Pathways for Primary Care Providers
- Patient Information Leaflets
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