What is “Anaphylaxis”?
Anaphylaxis is a sudden, acute, and often catastrophic allergic reaction caused by the body’s immune system which reacts to foreign substances such as a drug, injection, insect sting, or food. Milk, wheat, egg, peanuts and other nuts, shellfish, fish and soy are common allergenic foods. Rarely, anaphylaxis can be caused by exercise and cold temperatures.
How does anaphylaxis happen?
For reasons that scientists do not understand completely, the immune system (the part of the body responsible for fighting infections) sometimes works “overtime” and “attacks” otherwise harmless proteins that we come in contact with.
What are the symptoms of anaphylaxis?
Symptoms almost always start within minutes after an exposure, although a delay of up to an hour or more is possible. Symptoms can affect the skin (swelling, hives/welts, itchiness, redness), gut (itchy mouth, swelling of the lips, stomach ache, nausea vomiting, diarrhea). There can be throat swelling, and difficulty breathing (hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, throat closing, wheezing, repetitive coughing), and circulation collapse (paleness, dizziness, passing out, low blood pressure, low pulse rate, loss of pulse). A “feeling of impending doom” is often described. Women may experience uterine contractions. Mild symptoms without additional parts of the body being affected are usually not thought of as life-threatening anaphylaxis (skin symptoms alone, itchy mouth alone, stomach aches alone). Sometimes a reaction will subside and then start up again 1 to 3 hours later, or rarely after a longer period of time. This is called a “biphasic” reaction.
How does one treat anaphylaxis?
If someone has anaphylaxis, epinephrine in the form of Epi-Pen or Auvi-Q should be administered immediately and 911 should be called. The difficulty comes when patients do not recognize what is happening and no epinephrine is given. Anyone who has had anaphylaxis needs a workup by an allergist to confirm what caused the problem, how to prevent it, and how to treat it.