Not all children who have asthma have an allergy.
- If your child has an obvious trigger for their asthma. For example if exposed to cat fur your child starts to wheeze there is an obvious reaction.
- No further allergy testing maybe necessary.
- It’s not always useful.
- It’s not always needed.
Another test for allergies is the skin prick test. Why may my child need a skin prick test? If your asthma team don’t know what your child’s triggers are, they may refer your child for skin prick testing.
If you child does need a skin prick test you may be asked to:
- Avoid contact with the suspected cause of the allergy before the test.
- Avoid using perfumed soap or other skin moisturisers on your child’s arm before the test.
- If your child is taking an antihistamine you will be asked to stop this 24 to 48 hours before the test.
