A simple blood test to diagnose asthma

More than 20 million Americans suffer from asthma. Sixty percent of asthmatics suffer from allergic asthma, or exposure to allergens such as dust mites and mold, which can trigger asthma attacks.

Knowing whether your child has allergic or non-allergic asthma is essential in effectively reducing symptoms and controlling the severity of attacks. Asthmatics on daily medications should be tested for asthma triggers, according to recently updated asthma guidelines from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Asthmatics who reduce their exposure to allergy triggers can better control
their condition.

Quest Diagnostics now offers an easy way to test for specific allergy triggers with one blood draw. Used in conjunction with patient history and a physical exam, the ImmunoCAP^® Specific IgE blood test offers health care providers a valuable tool to identify allergic asthma and
its triggers.

Health care providers may also use test results to guide asthma management. If your doctor thinks that this test is right for your child, he or she will draw blood or send you to a Quest Diagnostics Patient Service Center.

Quest Diagnostics is the nation’s leading provider of diagnostic testing. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and Quest Diagnostics are joint venture partners serving Southwestern Pennsylvania.