When Should You Be Retested for Allergies?

When Should You Be Retested for Allergies?

When was your last allergy test? If you can’t remember or if it was in your childhood, you may want to get retested. While many people believe that an allergy test leads to a lifelong allergy diagnosis, it’s not always the case. 

Your immune system is constantly changing. As you age, your hormones change. Your inflammation pathways and antibodies responsible for your allergic responses shift. You may develop new allergies. You might find your allergies worsen or slowly phase out. Allergies aren’t static.

Because allergies can change, it’s important to know when to get retested. If you ignore your worsening or shifting symptoms, you could end up with severe symptoms that make it hard to breathe. Don’t risk it. Learn when and why to get retested.

Allergies Can Change Over Time

Allergies change over time, and it comes down to how allergies work within your body. The basics of an allergy are that it’s an overreaction to an allergen, such as mold spores, pet dander, or pollen. Your body sees that allergen as an invader and wages war against it. 

Your immune system produces immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies. When there’s an allergen, your immune system ramps up production. The purpose of the IgE antibodies is to trigger mast cells to release histamine. 

Histamine dilates blood vessels so that white blood cells can target invaders quickly and prevent them from causing harm. The problem is that the histamine reaction also triggers the inflammation that leads to the congestion, itching, and sneezing that make you miserable. In food allergies, it can make your lips, tongue, and throat swell and trigger anaphylaxis.

Your immune system doesn’t work exactly the same at every stage of your life. It can go through several changes at different times.

• Childhood Maturity: Your immune system evolves as your body goes through puberty and reaches maturity. 
• Hormonal Changes: Puberty, pregnancy, and menopause create big shifts in your hormone levels. This impacts your immune response and can make allergies worsen or disappear.
• Environmental Changes: Moving to a new region introduces your immune system to new tree and weed pollens, climates, and mold levels. A move to another zone can lead to a diet with different fruits and vegetables. All of that can change your gut microbiome and immune system and affect your allergies.
• Natural Desensitization: With time, exposure over years may help desensitize you to certain allergies. It’s how immunotherapy works. You’re exposed to very low, safe levels over time to help your body learn how to respond appropriately. 
• Natural Sensitization: At the same time, exposure to the same allergen that’s never impacted you may suddenly trigger new allergies. 

Because allergies are not always lifelong and may suddenly appear later in life, allergy retesting is essential.

Retesting: Common Allergies and When to Ask for a New Test

How do you know when to ask to be retested for allergies? A lot of it comes down to your allergies and how you’re feeling. Standard clinical timelines for retesting offer some guidance, but they’re not the only factor. 

Childhood Food Allergies

When an infant or child has a food allergy, the allergy often shifts with time. Much of this depends on the type of allergy. Don’t offer the child food to see what happens. Go to an allergist for professional allergy testing.

• Egg, milk, soy, and wheat allergies: They’re frequently outgrown by adolescence. Testing should take place every one or two years.
• Fish, peanuts, shellfish, and tree nuts: These allergies are less likely to be outgrown. It doesn’t mean that it can’t happen. Testing should take place every two to three years. 

Drug Allergies

Around 33% of Americans report having a drug allergy, and penicillin is one of the most common. It’s also overdiagnosed. Research finds that penicillin allergy symptoms decrease over 10 years. If it’s been more than five years since you were diagnosed with a penicillin allergy, get retested.

Environmental and Seasonal Allergies

Environmental allergies (grass, mold, pet dander, tree, and weeds) and other seasonal allergies often last longer than most allergies, but they can change over time. As climate change lengthens growing seasons and increases the chances of severe weather, people face longer growing seasons and more moisture from flooding rain. 

Moisture increases the risk of mold. Humid homes provide the ideal habitat for dust mites. All of this impacts your health. If you deal with environmental and seasonal allergies, retesting is important. Aim for a three- to five-year retesting timeframe.

You may need to get retested if you move to a different area. If you move from Fresno to the East Coast, retesting helps identify which pollen and environmental factors affect you there. If you’re new to Fresno, get tested to see if your new neighborhood is worsening your health.

If you notice your allergy medications stop working or are taking longer to help, get another allergy test to determine if you have developed new allergies.

Insect Bite/Sting Allergies

Stings and bites from ants, bees, hornets, and wasps can be severe for some people. Immunotherapy is a leading treatment to help reduce the severity of a reaction. If you’re undergoing immunotherapy, retesting is recommended every three to five years. 

Listen to Your Body and See an Allergist if Anything Seems Off

A better rule is to listen to your body. If you’re experiencing problematic symptoms that don’t go away, see an allergist. Don’t wait until the retesting guideline arrives. You could put yourself at risk of an allergy-induced asthma attack or anaphylaxis.

At the same time, you find your allergies aren’t as bad. That’s another issue you should address.

Watch for these signs:

• New Symptoms: You have symptoms you’ve never experienced before, such as asthma flareups, facial swelling, or hives. 
• No Reaction: You ingested a food you’ve previously been allergic to, and nothing happened. You might have a latex allergy, and suddenly accidental exposure didn’t cause a rash. Get retested to see if your allergies have resolved with low-level exposure over the years.
• Poor Control of Symptoms: You’ve managed symptoms for years using over-the-counter allergy medications, but they no longer work.
• Recurrent Sinusitis or Nasal Polyps: You keep getting diagnosed with sinus infections or nasal polyps are found.
• Sudden Changes in Quality of Life: If your allergies are impacting your quality of life, it’s important to get retested. If your allergies keep you up all night or have you feeling exhausted all day. They’re causing sinus pain from the constant congestion. You might experience a brain fog that’s concerning you. All are reasons to see an allergist.

With so many advancements in allergy treatments, retesting helps you better understand your exact allergens. Your allergy doctor can discuss newer, more effective treatments that provide lasting relief.

Take Control of Your Immune Health

Allergies evolve. They may ease up, worsen, or new allergies may appear. Whether you need to know whether your child’s peanut allergy is going away or you’re suddenly dealing with year-round allergies and need answers, a new allergy test is essential.

Our board-certified allergist offers allergy retesting. Once you have answers, you’ll work with Dr. Sabry on a new allergy treatment plan that makes it easier to go through your day without feeling dragged down and miserable. Make an appointment online and work towards a permanent solution to resolving your allergies.