Understanding Anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis is a serious allergic response that necessitates immediate attention. Itcan be fatal if treatment is not administered at the shortest time possible. It canhappen when people who have allergies to certain foods, medications, insect sting,venom, latex or medications come into contact with these.

Symptoms which are usually mild at its initial stages are often mistaken for plainallergy. These usually begin 5 to 30 minutes after a person comes into contact withan allergen, but these will become severe as the reaction progresses. After an houror more, anaphylactic symptoms will start to manifest. It usually affects differentsystems of the body including the digestive, circulatory, nervous, and respiratorysystems.

If you or anyone you know manifests these signs, you should takeimmediate action to prevent complications.

1. Itching2. Hives3. Swelling of the lips, face and tongue4. Shortness of breath5. Tightness of the throat6. Coughing7. Vomiting8. Wheezing9. Abdominal pain10. Shock11. Chest pain12. Feeling of impending doom

Epinephrine or adrenaline is the most effective treatment for anaphylaxis knowntoday. If you notice anyone suffering from any of these symptoms after ingesting orcoming into contact with an allergen, you must inject the person with epinephrineat once even if you're not 100% sure that he or she is suffering from anaphylaxis.

It's always good to act immediately because even a few minutes of delay in theadministration of treatment can lead to catastrophic results. The indicationsmight just be a false alarm but prompt administration which involves the injectionof epinephrine on the outer muscles of the thigh is one sure way to save the life ofthe sufferer without exposing him or her to the risk of side effects.

Once you have administered emergency allergy treatment, you must seekmedical help or call 911 to make sure that follow-up treatment is given to thepatient