Allergies occur when your body mistakes a normally harmless substance for a harmful one, triggering an overactive immune response. These harmless substances are called allergens. Common allergens include pollen food, latex, and insect venom, droppings, saliva, or feces.1
In order to diagnose you with allergies, a healthcare provider will ask questions about your symptoms and medical history to determine a diagnosis. Then they will use tests and procedures to find what triggers the allergy. Allergy tests include skin prick tests, puncture or intradermal tests, and blood tests to check for increased levels of IgE-allergy antibodies.