Anaphylaxis is an extremely rare and life-threatening allergic reaction. Symptoms often appear immediately after exposure to the substance that is causing the reaction.
Possible Allergy Symptoms:
We want to reiterate that anaphylaxis is rare. The majority of people with who suffer from allergies will never experience an anaphylactic reaction.
Food ingestion is the most common cause of anaphylaxis, with nuts (especially peanuts) and seafood being the most common triggers. Cow’s milk allergy and egg allergy are also common triggers in children. Most life-threatening anaphylactic reactions occur when a patient has eaten a food that has an unknown ingredient in it. For example, peanuts may be used as a thickener in a chili recipe. Or, Chinese food from a restaurant may be cross-contaminated.
Most anaphylactic reactions occur after eating or drinking a particular food or medication, or after an insect sting. In rare cases, anaphylaxis can occur after being exposed to the cold or after exercising. Still others have experienced anaphylaxis for which no cause has been identified.
Interestingly, for some patients, anaphylaxis may only occur if two or more factors are involved. For example, someone may experience anaphylaxis if they eat a specific food, and then exercise shortly after. Alone, neither the exercise nor the food causes any reaction in these individuals. Allergy testing at our allergy clinic will help identify the causes of these allergic reactions.
Anaphylactoid reactions resemble anaphylactic reactions, but no actual allergy is involved. The symptoms will be similar, but they are caused by different biological processes. Fortunately, the treatment is the same for both. Unlike most anaphylactic reactions, anaphylactoid reactions can occur with no previous exposure at all. Both radiographic contrast agents (the dyes that allow physicians to see your veins and arteries on an x-ray) and morphine are known to cause anaphylactoid reactions, but these reactions are uncommon.
The first step in preventing anaphylaxis is avoiding the allergen(s) that cause you to react. This is often a challenge because you can unknowingly come into contact with an allergen. Your AllergyCorp Group will have ideas to help you avoid your triggers. Allergy tests are an important way of determining what you are allergic to.
Immunotherapy (“allergy shots”) are another treatment option that can help reduce your risk of a reaction and/or minimize the reaction. Allergy immunotherapy is a very effective, natural protection for insect stings (wasp, bee, yellow jacket, and hornet) but is not practical or available for all triggers. Immunotherapy has some risk involved, but our AllergyCorp Group doctors are experienced specialists that work in a controlled setting and can minimize the risk.
If someone is allergic to penicillin, a good way to prevent a future reaction is to use an alternative antibiotic to treat the patient’s illness. Our doctor may want to do an allergy test to confirm that you have a penicillin allergy. Usually our AllergyCorp Group doctors will ask you avoid penicillin and its derivatives. However, sometimes penicillin is the most effective antibiotic for a specific illness. If so, there are treatment options that can temporarily desensitize you to penicillin so that your doctor can use it to treat your specific condition at a particular time.
Epinephrine is the prescription medication that is used to treat anaphylaxis. It is fast-acting and is administered by injection. If you have experienced an anaphylactic reaction in the past, we recommend that you carry epinephrine with you at all times. For individual use, pre-filled syringes that are designed for self-injection can be purchased with a prescription from your AllergyCorp Group doctor. It is important that you are trained by an AllergyCorp Group doctor about when and how to use epinephrine.
Some medications for high blood pressure (“beta blockers”) counteract epinephrine, making it more difficult to treat you if you experience anaphylaxis. Therefore, if you on beta blockers and you are a highly-allergic person (or have a history of anaphylaxis), your doctor may want to consider other options for treating your high blood pressure.
If you think you may be experiencing an anaphylactic reaction, you should seek immediate medical help. Anaphylaxis is life-threatening!
If you are worried about anaphylaxis, the allergy doctors at the AllergyCorp Group would like to help. We have the latest treatment & testing, and convenient clinics in Eastern North Carolina. We see adult and pediatric patients (5 yrs and older). Call AllergyCorp Group today at 910-399-2882 for Wilmington or 910-207-6520 for Whiteville clinic for more info.