Anaphylaxis can happen to anyone, but of course, it's more likely to occur in people who have allergic disease, including asthma. It's also important to know that asthma can increase the risk of death from anaphylaxis.
Understanding Anaphylaxis
As mentioned above, anaphylaxis is also known as allergic shock or the most severe form of an allergy attack. Luckily, it is fairly rare, occurring in only about 5% of the population. It can strike at any time and without any warning. Even if you have never had a severe allergic reaction before, you are still just as much at risk. You can even have an anaphylactic reaction to something that didn't bother you in the past, or that just caused a mild reaction.
Anaphylaxis symptoms sometimes start out a lot like those of an asthma attack, including wheezing and an uncontrollable cough. This similarity can delay recognition that fast, emergency care is needed. Because allergic shock seems like an asthma attack, people often try to "fix" it by taking some puffs of a quick-relief inhaler. But that doesn't work, and the condition quickly escalates into a life-threatening situation. Survival is often dependent on getting a shot of epinephrine –- immediately.
Knowing What to Do Is Crucial
But it's not all doom and gloom. You CAN take steps to protect yourself from suffering harm, even if an anaphylactic reaction should occur. With the right plan, there is no reason in the world why you cannot live a healthy, active life.
There are 3 strategies for keeping anaphylaxis from becoming a problem. They include knowledge, prevention and protection, each of which we'll examine more closely in the following sections.
Step 1. Knowledge of What Might Happen Gives You Power
First, start with learning all you can about anaphylaxis, what causes it, how to stop it, and what tools are needed to combat it. Once you've educated yourself, begin teaching your family, friends, and possibly even your co-workers what you have learned, so that everyone will be on the same page and prepared to take the right actions.
Here are some specific things you should know:
Common anaphylaxis triggers. Food allergies are one of the most common cause of anaphylaxis. Allergies to peanuts and tree nuts are common culprits. But other allergies can also lead to allergic shock, including those to stinging insects, such as wasps, hornets, honeybees and fire ants. Latex is another possibility. You may have heard that healthcare workers are sometimes allergic to disposable gloves, but latex is also used in balloons, so sensitive people can go into allergic shock after playing with balloons, even if they've never been allergic to them before.
Common anaphylaxis symptoms. It's also important that you know how to recognize an anaphylaxis episode when it does begin. Early detection is essential if serious complications are to be avoided. Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that affects 2 or more parts of your body at the same time, regardless of where the actual exposure was. For example, the allergic reaction might begin after a bee sting on the hand, but can go on to affect the whole body. This is called a systemic reaction.
Symptoms often begin with the skin, in the form of a rash or hives. Then, they may progress to throat swelling, wheezing, and other signs of distress. But symptoms don't always occur in this sequence. Sometimes, anaphylaxis starts with a bang with the most severe symptoms. It's impossible to predict which way it will go.
Here is a more complete list of possible anaphylaxis symptoms:
- Skin symptoms – Rash, hives, itching
- Airways – wheezing, shortness of breath, throat swelling & tightness, coughing, hoarseness, chest tightness, stuffy, runny nose, trouble swallowing; itchy mouth / throat
- Stomach – nausea, abdominal pain & cramps, vomiting, diarrhea
- Circulation – paleness or blue skin color, weak pulse, feeling dizzy or lightheaded, shock
- Other – having a feeling of "impending doom," red, itchy, watery eyes, headache
To extend your learning even further, you might explore the many resources at The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network website, in particular their anaphylaxis page.
