Do you know what anaphylaxis is? What are the symptoms of anaphylaxis? Anaphylaxis is a severe and lethal allergic reaction and can occur in few minutes or seconds. This occurs when you are exposed to an allergen. Mostly allergies to food, medications, latex and insect sting are linked with anaphylaxis. This article highlights the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of anaphylaxis.

This reaction happens when an over-release of chemicals put the person into shock. The second anaphylactic reaction can happen for 12 hours after the initial reaction. The symptoms can sometimes occur in one location of the body. While some people are likely to have a serious reaction. This reaction impacts more than one body part at a time.

Let’s take a look at the symptoms and treatment of anaphylaxis

Symptoms

The symptoms of anaphylaxis can occur instantly and progress fast. The mild symptoms may include a runny nose or skin rash. But these symptoms can lead to serious issues such as:

  • Abdominal pain
  • Fainting
  • Trouble breathing
  • Tightness of throat
  • Rapid heart beat
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea
  • Swelling
  • Hoarse voice
  • Diarrhea
  • Cardiac arrest
  • Low blood pressure.

Diagnosis

People who have had a severe allergic reaction are more prone to have future reactions. In case your first reaction is mild, there are chances that your future reactions might be severe. 

The anaphylaxis is diagnosed on the basis of a person’s signs and symptoms. If any one of the symptoms occurs within minutes or hours of being exposed to an allergen. It is likely that you have anaphylaxis.

In order to diagnose whether you have anaphylaxis or not, allergists review your history of allergic reactions. Along with this, they conduct diagnostic tests to evaluate your triggers. They will teach you avoidance techniques that are very useful for you.

The tests that the allergist will conduct includes:

  • Blood tests
  • Skin-prick tests
  • Oral food challenges.

There are many conditions that have same signs and symptoms to those of anaphylaxis. With the help of these tests experts rule out other conditions.

Treatment and Management

It is better to have a self-injectable epinephrine if you are at risk. These injections have a prescribed single dose of medication that is injected into the thigh. You must talk to your healthcare provider about how to use the epinephrine auto-injector.

When having an anaphylactic attack, you might receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation. This is provided if your hearts stops or you stop breathing. Some of the medication that you may be given are:

  • Intravenous antihistamines and cortisone, this reduces inflammation of your air passages and improves breathing
  • Oxygen might be given to help you breathe.
  • Beta-agonist like albuterol might be provided to relieve breathing symptoms.

The perfect ways to manage your condition are:

  • Be prepared for an emergency
  • Avoid allergens that trigger your allergic reactions.
  • You must have complete anaphylaxis action plan and have the file at work, school. This will allow others to recognize the symptoms and provide treatment.
  • You can wear a medical alert necklace or bracelet. This will indicates you have an allergy to specific drug or item.
  • It is best to have an emergency medical kit with you that contains prescribed medicines.

Therefore, if you have an anaphylactic reaction it is better to call 911 and use your auto-injector. Your life depends on this, you should not wait to see if symptoms get better.

DISCLAIMER: The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.