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Exams and Tests

Your health care provider will ask you questions about the following:

• Medical history, including allergies, asthma, and eczema
• Seasonal symptoms associated with specific geographic locations
• Family history of hay fever, asthma, and other allergies

He or she may take a drop of your nasal discharge, looking at it under a microscope for many immune cells called eosinophils, which increase dramatically in number during an allergic reaction.

An allergy specialist (allergist) may be able to determine the exact allergen causing your hay fever. He or she uses a skin test in which dilute solutions of various allergens are introduced into your skin. A positive reaction is indicated by a typical wheal and flare reaction (raised red bump).