How is dust mite allergy diagnosed?

  In addition to the typical clinical symptoms, the identification of allergens is the key to the treatment and prevention of allergic diseases. It is also a major feature that distinguishes it from other chronic diseases with unclear etiology and no specificity in prevention and treatment.  There are two main methods for the diagnosis of dust mite allergy: one is skin testing and the other is in vitro testing. Dust mite is the most widely distributed and strongly allergenic allergen found today. Both of these methods have a high positive rate. The skin test is mainly a prick test and an intradermal test, of which the prick test is less painful and safer, and is widely used. The intradermal test is rarely used because it requires the injection of a large amount of allergen, which has a greater risk of causing systemic reactions and is more painful. The in vitro test is also known as blood sampling to find allergens. There are many methods, but the positive rate of some methods is either too high or too low, the repeatability is poor, and the compliance rate with skin test results is low, and the price is expensive. The skin prick test is performed when dust mite allergy is clinically confirmed or suspected.  The skin prick test uses a specially designed prick needle to puncture the skin (without puncturing the dermis, which does not bleed or hurt) so that the test solution reacts directly with the sensitized mast cells in the skin, and is controlled with saline (negative control) and histamine (negative control).  The test results are observed 15-20 minutes after puncture. A positive test reaction was observed if a pale yellow skin mound with a red halo around it was present. If the skin reaction is similar in strength to histamine, mark ++++; if the skin reaction is stronger, mark ++++ accordingly, and if weaker, mark + or ++, and for negative control reaction, mark -.  The following should be noted before doing the puncture: 1. It should not be done when the symptoms are severe.  2. Antihistamines, adrenergic drugs, xanthines, sodium cromoglycate and other drugs should be discontinued before puncturing. The general antihistamines need to be stopped for 24 hours, and long-acting antihistamines need to be stopped for 2-14 days; corticosteroids mainly affect late reactions or delayed metaplasia, so puncture tests can be done without stopping the drugs in general.