A RAST test (short for radioallergosorbent test) is a blood test used to determine to what substances a person is allergic. This is different from a skin allergy test, which determines allergy by the reaction of a person's skin to different substances.

Because there are other tests that help with confirmation, results are best interpreted by a doctor.

Contents

• 1 Indication
• 2 Method
• 3 History
• 4 Scale
• 5 See also
• 6 References
• 7 External links

Indication

The RAST test is an alternative to skin tests to elucidate the causal allergen to an allergy.

Advantages of the RAST test range from: excellent reproducibility across the full measuring range of the calibration curve, it has very high specificity as it binds to allergen specific IgE, and extremely sensitive too, when compared with skin prick testing. In general, this method of blood testing (in-vitro, out of body) vs skin-prick testing (in-vivo, in body) has a major advantage: it is not always necessary to remove the patient from an anthihistamine medication regimen, and if the skin conditions (such as eczema) are so widespread that allergy skin testing cannot be done.

Still, when possible, allergy skin testing is the preferred method in comparison with various in vitro tests for assessing the presence of specific IgE antibodies because it is more sensitive and specific, simpler to use, and less expensive.

Types of allergies - Allergy Medicine US and Allergies ...
Seasonal allergies. Seasonal allergy symptoms are commonly ... production), such as the radioallergosorbent Test (RAST ... Retrieved on 2010-08-31 ^ Seasonal Allergies Kids Health.
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