• Home
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

The Nest

  • Home
  • About
  • Services
  • Blog
  • Book
  • Membership
  • Contact

Skin Prick Testing (SPT) The how, why and what next…?

child allergy

5 Jul
PODCAST

Skin prick testing is something that’s really important to diagnosing an allergy.

However it is also important to know that it is also just a part of the larger puzzle that is diagnosis.

So what you’re going to learn in today’s blog is that you can’t always take the number on the skin prick test and act on that number alone when it comes to feeding your child a food that they have shown an allergy to.

Skin prick testing (SPT) can sometimes appear to be done slightly differently depending on where you get it done, but essentially it is about getting a tiny amount of allergen just under the skin.

As well as SPT and sometimes a RAST blood test, it is essential that the doctor gets a good history.

If the child is already successfully eating a food, the specialist is unlikely to do a SPT on it because sometimes the test can still show a sensitivity and this can frighten the parent. In this case, sometimes a parent will stop giving that food because they have assumed the child is ‘allergic’ to it. Basically doing an SPT with a food that is being eaten is not recommended.

Children can show to be ‘sensitised’ to a food on SPT and if this food is then cut from the diet, there is more of a chance of the child becoming allergic to it because when it is reintroduced, the immune system is not used to it and mistakes it for an intruder!

SPT is performed by delivering a drop of the allergen onto an appropriate part of the body and agitating the skin so that that small drop can get just under the skin We normally use the forearm, back or on the leg. Often a grid is drawn so that each drop has its own space and we can label that space so we know which allergen is which

If the child has severe eczema, we need to find a part of the skin that isn’t too effected.

Sometimes SPT is done with a small metal lancet and other times it can be done with a single use plastic pricker that sits in a well of allergen. This single use pricker has 2 teeth that break the top layer of skin. It is then thrown away.

After the SPT has been performed, the child should be left for 15 minutes before the results are read. This is the optimum time to get an accurate result.

The results can vary from 0mm to as large as 30mm in some cases. The size of the hive allows the doctor to decide on a course of action going forward. Lots of decisions are made by the specialist when the hive is under 10mm, but over 10mm is classes as a moderate/large result and decisions would be very much on a case by case basis.

There are several things the doctor might suggest after an SPT.

    • Completely avoid that food

    • Book in for a food challenge

    • Trial the food at home (detailed instructions should be given)

    • Parent led challenge in hospital (depending on your provider)

Never trial a food at home that your child has had an allergic reaction to, unless your specialist has told you to and given you instructions.

At The Nest, we would recommend that when you have a food challenge, your child has had a recent SPT no more than 12 months previously. 6 Months would be even better!

Sometimes your child may have an SPT to a food that they have had a reaction to, and it shows up as a completely negative result. This can be because your child’s reaction was FPIES (Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome) this normally presents as profuse vomiting and lethargy. It is not an IgE mediated allergy so the SPT comes back as 0.

SPT should always be done with an immunologist/allergist that can interpret the results and organise appropriate treatment and follow up. We hear too often about places where parents can get SPT done but are then told to avoid all the foods and given no follow up or plan to re-do the SPT or reintroduce any foods.  This can be extremely detrimental to a child, and their family as well as family life when it comes to meals and socialising. It is also these kind of places that SPT to foods that a child is already eating and frighten a family into cutting them out of the diet.

When an SPT is done, there is a positive and negative control. So usually the first drop and prick is saline and the second drop and prick id histamine. This then shows us that the child’s body is acting normally if we see a 0 response to saline and a 3-6mm response to histamine. We then know that the other results are accurate. If we don’t see a histamine response, it may be that the child has had antihistamine which means the SPT will not be reliable.

We hope this has been helpful for you today!

Do you want more info about raising your kids safely or are you living with food allergies? We’ve got your back! There are a few more places to go…

1. Grab our FREE First Aid Pocketbook — Want to kick parental anxiety right outta your nest? Prepare for the marathon of parenthood by downloading our First Aid Pocketbook You can download and store it on your phone or computer! You’ll have access to up to date first aid instructions including, Choking, CPR, burns and more!

2. Allergy mum? Join us inside The Nest Allergy Membership where you have specialists in your pocket 24/7 for the price of 2 coffee’s a week — oh and an AWESOME community!

3. Prefer a class? We have the choice of in-person & online! Check them out here.

Leave a Comment

« Spider Bites & Stings
PODCAST: Fever in Your Child »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get social!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

  • Skin Prick testing In Action
  • Burns in young children
  • Introducing Common Allergy Foods and Nut Prep
  • Bedwetting
  • Epipen’s in Daycare

thenestcpr

View

Feb 24

Open
🌟 VIDEO: SKIN PRICK TESTING IN ACTION 🌟
Skin prick testing is something that’s really important to diagnosing an allergy.

However it is also important to know that it is also just a part of the larger puzzle that is diagnosis.

So what you’re going to learn in today’s blog is that you can’t always take the number on the skin prick test and act on that number alone when it comes to feeding your child a food that they have shown an allergy to.

Skin prick testing (SPT) can sometimes appear to be done slightly differently depending on where you get it done, but essentially it is about getting a tiny amount of allergen just under the skin.

As well as SPT and sometimes a RAST blood test, it is essential that the doctor gets a good history.

If the child is already successfully eating a food, the specialist is unlikely to do a SPT on it because.... [READ & WATCH MORE HERE]----> https://thenestcpr.com/2021/02/24/skin-prick-testing/ OR Link In Bio 🌟

thenestcpr

View

Feb 23

Open
🤱🏼 My friend & colleague, Amanda at @essentialmeservices is the founder of Birthary, a platform that ensures that every family who are expecting a baby, has access to a doula in their area around their due date, as well as finding connections with other professionals in the child & family space. 

Go to YouTube now & search for the BIRTHARY channel. Then LIKE and
👉🏼 SUBSCRIBE 👈🏼

Such a great resource!

thenestcpr

View

Feb 21

Open
🕊🌟 Classes Now Available For 2021 🌟🕊

"You don't need these skills until you REALLY need them" This is the sentence that one of our parents said made her shiver and ultimately spend 3 hours of her life learning baby and child first aid.... just in case.
⠀
This 3 hour class taught by a paediatric nurse will teach you everything you need to know to deal with an emergency with your child or someone else's.⠀
⠀
👩🏼‍🎓 You will learn:⠀
∙ Baby & Child CPR⠀
∙ Choking⠀
∙ Fever⠀
∙ Broken bones⠀
∙ Drowning⠀
∙ Febrile convulsions⠀
∙ Head injuries⠀
∙ Poisoning⠀
∙ Burns⠀
∙ Anaphylaxis⠀
∙ First Aid Q&A⠀
∙ Introducing Common Allergenic Foods⠀
⠀
On the day everyone will receive:⠀
∙ Class ebook emailed⠀
∙ Choking & CPR Fridge Magnet⠀
⠀
Babies under 12 months and breastfeeding welcome.⠀
⠀
👩🏼‍💻 Book online: thenestcpr.com/book

thenestcpr

View

Feb 21

Open
Instagram post 17872503362208964

thenestcpr

View

Feb 17

Open
In this video & post we are talking about burns in young children and how to treat them. 

Kids are curious, small and have the type of skin that needs extra protection. Children’s skin burns more easily than adults. 

Burns are a major cause of injury in children, especially those aged between 1 – 2 years, due to their sudden ability to mobilise and investigate! 

Did you know… At 60 ºC, it takes one second for hot water to cause third-degree burns. At 55 ºC, it takes 10 seconds for hot water to cause third-degree burns. At 50 ºC, it takes five minutes for hot water to cause third-degree burns. You can set your hot water heater to...

{READ & WATCH MORE} → through the link in our bio and hit "The Nest Blog" or go here → https://thenestcpr.com/2021/02/17/burns/

do more of what makes you happy

Copyright © Ivory
Website Design | Autumn Lane Paperie