Cat Dander Allergy Blood Test

If you ve been diagnosed with a cat allergy and have a cat don t fret.

Cat dander allergy blood test.

Scarlett a 7 year old beagle and edith and ollie 15 year old identical twin black cats. Dander consists of dead skin cells and particles shed by animals. This cat dander allergy test also known as a cat allergy test cat allergy blood test and cat ige test measures the cat dander ige antibody blood level. Your doctor or nurse observes your skin for signs of allergic reactions after 15 minutes.

The most common side effects of these skin tests are itching and redness. Cat dander ige a healthy result should fall into the range 0 0 1 kunits l. If you re allergic to cats for example you ll develop a red itchy bump where the cat extract was pricked into your skin. Allergies to cats are twice as prevalent as allergies to dogs.

Blood will be drawn either at the doctor s office or a laboratory and then sent for testing. Allergy blood tests usually screen for at least 10 of the most common allergy triggers including dust. It s estimated that as many as 3 in 10 people living in the united states are allergic to cats. Laura richards is a boston based freelance writer and the mother of four boys including a set of identical twins and is also mom to three rescue pets.

In these cases the doctor will order a blood test. The allergenic component of cat dander is feline d 1 or fel d1 a glycoprotein that combines with cat dander cat skin flakes. Testing for ige antibodies may be useful to establish the diagnosis of an allergic disease and to define the allergens responsible for eliciting signs and symptoms. The blood is then examined for antibodies to common.

The allergist will likely recommend allergen testing and may pursue symptomatic treatment such as antihistamines to reduce discomfort or allergen immunotherapy shots to reduce the severity of reaction upon exposure to cat dander barrack said. People who are allergic to cats aren t allergic to the cat itself. A cat allergy is a relatively common issue in which one is allergic to allergens produced by a cat. And check out cat dander.

We have found by field and lab testing that cat dander is present albeit at low levels even in buildings where no cats live. How to combat cat dander. How to relieve your allergies. They re actually allergic to certain proteins in the cat s urine saliva and epithelium dander.

These side effects usually go away within 30 minutes.