Allergy Pork Enzyme Assay Skin
What is this test?
Allergy Pork Skin Test is used to test the sensitization of your skin to pork. This test helps in knowing the immune response to the pork and its byproducts. In this test, your skin is slightly pricked and introduced to the pork products.
What is pork allergy?
Pork is a type of meat from a domestic pig. It is the most consumed food worldwide. Pork allergy may be due to various reasons. One of them may be an immune response to the pork and its products. The immune system mistakes the proteins in the cells of pork for a foreign substance. Then the body produces a reaction similar to the one created during an attack of bacteria or virus. Pork allergy is also called pork-cat syndrome because most of the pork allergies are related to cat allergies. This pork allergy is caused in response to cat serum albumin which cross-reacts with albumin in pork. The uncooked pork meat or dried and smoked pork products tend to cause more reactions than well-cooked pork meat. The symptoms of pork allergy are severe itching, rashes, inflammation of the skin, runny or stuffy nose, difficulty in breathing, wheezing, mild fever, gastrointestinal upset like nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, etc.
Sometimes the allergic reactions can be life-threatening causing narrowing of the airways, making it difficult to breathe. Very less often pork allergy may cause an anaphylactic reaction. Anaphylaxis is a medical emergency condition which leads to facial flushing, itching, shock, sudden fall in blood pressure, constriction of airways, swollen throat, difficulty to breathe, etc.
Why this test is recommended?
This test may be recommended to you if you experience symptoms like severe itching, rashes, inflammation of the skin, runny or stuffy nose, difficulty in breathing, wheezing, mild fever, gastrointestinal upset like nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, etc immediately after eating pork and its products. If you experience symptoms of pork allergy after consuming pork and have a known allergy to cats, then immediate treatment should be given. This may also be recommended to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment if you are diagnosed already.
Test Preparation
No special preparation is needed for Allergy Pork Enzyme Assay Skin. Inform your doctor if you are on any medications or have any underlying medical conditions or allergies before undergoing Allergy Pork Enzyme Assay Skin. Your doctor depending on your condition will give specific instructions.
Understanding your test results
After getting exposed to pork products if you develop hives, which are raised bumps at the test location that are at least 3mm in size may indicate that you have the allergy to pork.
If there is no reaction or hives present on the skin after getting exposed to the pork products then it may indicate that you are not allergic to pork.
| Gender | Age groups | Value |
| UNISEX | All age groups | A wheal and flare reaction of atleast 3mm indicates that the patient is allergic to the substance |