Did a particular substance get you sneezing? or maybe you suspect that your rash is caused due to an allergy to animals? If you are not sure if you have an allergy or want to confirm if you have one, taking an allergy test should be your answer.
While allergy tests come with a cost, budgeting for one can seem confusing. Worry not in this article; we’ve mentioned the amount you will have to pay for the different types of allergy tests. so let’s have a look at them-
What is an allergy test?
An allergy test is a test taken to determine whether your body is having an allergic response to commonly used objects or foods that you eat. Allergy testing will help identify allergens that affect your body.
They can range from mold, bee stings, peanuts, pet dander, etc. There are various types of allergy tests performed to study your body’s reaction to a particular object.
How Much Does an Allergy Test Cost in India?
The cost of an allergy test is highly variable and changes from hospital to hospital based on the packages that they offer. For instance, one hospital may provide you with a fully comprehensive test, or you can find hospitals that offer tests based on specific foods, etc. hence giving a precise amount is difficult, but a test for a single material can cost anywhere between 500- 1000 rupees so a comprehensive test will cost higher touching between 10,000 to 20, 000 rupees based on the parameters covered.
To make this a bit more precise, we have stated the various types of allergy tests that you can find in the hospitals of India; while these differ from hospital to hospital, these are the most common ones that are offered-
Allergy Panel tests
Allergy panel tests are tests that are a combination of various other tests to be performed in a specific category of allergens. The tests are performed to check your body’s reaction to some allergens that are segmented into panels-
1. Allergy tree panel
These tests are performed to check if you are allergic to a substance obtained from trees; this test will determine if you are allergic to substances like Maple, mountain cedar, white ash oak, elm, walnut, cottonwood, sycamore, white mulberry, pecan/hickory, olive, acacia, birch, pollen, etc.
There are two types of tests, one is the screening test which will confirm if you have an allergy or not, and the second is a confirmatory test which will quantify your allergy and give you a number on how much allergy you have. Both the tests can cost between 500- 3000 rupees per test. The test may be divided into subsections like tree panel 1 and so on. Remember, all the distinctions will have different costs.
2. Allergy food panel
An allergy food panel test will help you determine if you are allergic to any of the food items. These tests can be divided into veg and non-veg variants, checking your reactions to food products like sugar, milk, cheese, chicken, peanuts, wheat, rye, barley, etc.
These tests also come in screening and confirmatory variants costing between 500 to 2000 for the screening and 600- 300 for the confirmatory variant. These tests can cost approximately between 500- 700 for each. Furthermore, there can be distinctions based on various food categories.
3. Allergy Dermatophagoides Farinae
House dust can cause allergic reactions to some people; hence, an allergy dermatophagoides farinae allergy test is performed to recognize the triggers. The test will check if you have an allergy to the mites present in house dust. The cost of performing this test can be between 500 to 1000 rupees.
4. Allergy Animal Panel
Many people suffer from medical reactions caused when they come in contact with a specific animal. This can be an allergy to the proteins found in an animal’s skin cells, saliva, or urine. The test will help determine if you are allergic to animals like cats, dogs, cows, horses, etc.
This test comes in confirmatory and screening variants; the confirmatory test costs between 800- 3000, while the screening can cost between 500- 1500.
5. Allergy Mold Panel
The mold allergy panel tests if you have an allergy to molds. Allergies caused due to molds are usually respiratory allergies. The mold allergy panel will test if your body is allergic to the common molds like Alternaria tenuis, Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, Cladosporium, Mucor racemosus, Penicillium Notatum, Aspergillus Fumagitus, Cladosperium Herba Candida Albicans, Alternaria Tenuis, etc.
There are two types of mold panel allergy tests that can be performed – screening and confirmatory. The cost of confirmatory tests can range between 1000 – 4000 rupees, while the cost of a screening test can be between 500 – 1500 rupees.
6. Allergy weed panel
Weeds found in the garden can release tiny pollen grains, which get into the eyes, mouth, and lungs leading to allergic reactions in some people. If you have experienced this, you can go for an allergy panel test to test if you have an allergy to weeds like Common Ragweed, Mugwort, Lambs Quarters, Russian Thistle, English planta.
This test has two types. The screening test can be performed for 500 – 1500 rupees, while the confirmatory test can cost around 600- 3000 rupees.
Individual allergy test
If you think that a particular substance is responsible for causing allergic reactions in your body, then you can undergo an allergy test for that specific substance. For example, if you know you are allergic to tomatoes, then you can confirm this deduction by undergoing an allergy test for tomatoes. Individual allergy tests can cost between 1500 – 2500 rupees. And can be performed for substances like tomatoes, spinach, lentil, crabs, codfish, etc.
Comprehensive test
A comprehensive test is performed to check if you have an allergy to a range of substances. A comprehensive test is a great way to check if you have an allergy because allergic reactions will be checked for a wide range of substances. Based on the number of substances covered, a comprehensive allergy test can cost between 5000 – 12,000 rupees.
Methods of performing an allergy test ( based on how they are performed)
An allergy test can be performed in many ways based on the type of allergy you are suspected of having. Your doctor will recommend a type of test based on your reactions and allergies. These will be similar to the costs mentioned in the sections above, as these are the methods used to perform the tests.
Skin test
Certain types of allergens like food, insects, trees, etc., cause allergic reactions to appear on the skin. To perform a skin allergy test, the doctor will bring your skin in contact with the suspected allergen, and after 15 minutes, the results are noted down. there are two ways a skin test can be performed they are-
Prick skin test- in this, the suspected allergens sare placed on the body using a prick device to slightly puncture or scratch your skin, making the suspected allergen enter your skin.
Intradermal skin testing – using a small needle, the suspected allergen is placed under the surface of your skin using a needle. After 15 minutes, the results are taken.
Blood test
As the name suggests, a blood test is a test where blood from your body will be taken and investigated to determine if I have an allergy to any substance. A blood test can be performed in addition to skin tests or fr patients for whom undergoing a skin test is not possible. Your dermatologist will be the best person to decide if you need a blood test or not. Your doctor will collect blood samples from your body which will be sent to the lab where the suspected allergens will be made to react with your blood, and the levels of IgE antibodies will be measured. Blood tests have a high rate of false-positive results.
Challenge tests
This type of allergy detecting test is performed on people suspected of having food allergies caused by ingesting a particular food product. To check this, the doctor under his supervision will ask you to eat the suspected allergen, and the reaction it causes in your body will be checked.
Remember, you must always perform this test only under a doctor’s supervision. If your body has a very high rate of allergic reaction to the substance, it can lead to fatal consequences.
Patch test
As the name suggests, a patch test is performed on a little patch of your skin to check for allergy, this type of test is usually performed for substances that need to be in contact with your skin to cause an allergic reaction.
The doctor will place a drop or a small quantity of the allergen on your skin and will then bandage the area, letting it stay for around 48 to 96 hours, after which the doctor will remove the bandage and check if you have developed any adverse reaction to the substance.
FAQs
Q. What are the most common food products that people are allergic to?
Diary, Fish, Soy, Lentils, Nuts, Peanuts, sesame seed are the most common food substances people are allergic to.
Q. How can people with food allergies manage their allergies?
If you have a food allergy, know what the reactions are, understand ways to manage them, always look at ingredients before eating something, and be careful of cross-contamination.
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Conclusion
managing an allergy becomes easier when you know what your allergy triggers are; using an allergy test, you can find this out. We have helped make this easier by listing out the types of tests and their costs. So you can budget for testing more precisely.
Let us know in the comments which point you found to be most helpful.
