Metal Allergy Tests Need Plenty of Lead Time
For patients who are about to have prosthetic devices or pacemakers placed within their bodies, it’s important that patients are tested far in advance of any medical surgery so that any metal allergy reaction can be detected: so says a researchers report in the Archives of Dermatology this past August.
For some patients, a metal allergy can be detected before any test due to the wearing of certain types of jewelry.
Researcher Dr. Mark D. P. Davis from the Mayo Clinic told Reuters Health, that for most allergies which often use patch testing, 3-5 days is enough to determine if any allergens may cause irritation. But, for metal allergies, Dr. Davis recommends 7-10 days.
So important and powerful were the findings in the study, that 4 out of every 5 patients who tested positive for the allergy had to have a different type of device implanted according to Reuters.
Further information on the Archives of Dematology site indicates that any patch testing conducted after implantation of devices such as prosthetics or pacemakers “was of limited value.”
September 11, 2008 – 9:20 pm