Anaphylaxis is an extremely severe, even life-threatening allergic response that has been known to end with lethal outcome. As such, it requires immediate emergency medical attention that can be either professional or self-administered (like in the case of epinephrine auto-injectors such as EpiPen).

What’s on this page?

An anaphylactic response will occur when the body’s immune system overreact to the presence of any given trigger substance. The main culprits for anaphylaxis are the chemicals naturally produced and released by the body when perceived threat is identified, including immunoglobulin antibodies (igE) and histamine. Once released, these substances will cause a significant swelling in the various blood vessels throughout the body.

What are the symptoms of anaphylactic shock?

During an anaphylactic reaction, any of the following symptoms might manifest:

  • Rapid of weak pulse
  • Skin rash
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Swollen eyes, lips or extremities
  • Dizziness and light-headedness
  • Difficulties breathing
  • Swelling of the mouth

Am I at risk of experiencing an anaphylactic reaction?

While there is no 100% certain way to test or confirm whether or not you are at risk of experiencing anaphylaxis, there are certain risk factors that have been identified by the medical experts over the years. Luckily, anaphylactic reactions are rather rare and it is not that common for people to experience them without any prior warnings or indications such as:

  • A history of anaphylactic reactions
  • Severe allergies or asthma
  • Family history of anaphylaxis

Using these major factors and some other indications, your doctor will determine your risk of this severe exacerbation. If he assesses you belong to the high risk group, he might recommend undergoing additional testing in order to identify the exact allergy triggers.

However, keep in mind that there is no test that will be able to provide you with a precise indication of neither the severity of your potential reaction nor the likelihood of actually experiencing anaphylaxis. But, they can provide you with valuable information on which triggers you should avoid and whether you should take certain medications, including keeping emergency medications close at hand.

Some of the recommended tests include:

Skin tests

Skin tests are undoubtedly the most common way of getting tested for allergies. They involve getting the skin pricked to expose it to very small amounts of various allergens. After that, the reaction can be precisely determined – those allergens that cause the reaction will make the skin itchy and red in appearance, while others will cause no reaction whatsoever. As a result, the doctor will be able to precisely tell you which allergens should you try to avoid.

Blood tests

Blood tests are pretty straightforward – they involve taking a blood sample and sending it to analysis. There, the sample will be tested with various allergens. This means that blood tests are similar in their essence to skin tests, with the main difference that the person getting tested is not directly involved and will not directly experience potential allergic reactions.

Keeping a food diary

While not really a test, keeping a food diary can be very helpful in tracking food allergies. It involves writing down all the foods that you eat and potential reactions you might experience in order to find a possible link between certain types of food and symptoms of your allergies.

Testing for other conditions

In some cases, especially when the cause of the allergy proves to be rather difficult to identify, the doctor might recommend taking certain steps in order to rule out other conditions that might cause the symptoms you experience. Some of the conditions most commonly misidentified as allergies include panic attacks, immune system disorders and autoimmune conditions, heart and lung diseases and seizures.

What can trigger anaphylaxis?

Anaphylaxis can be caused, theoretically, by any allergen that can cause an allergic reaction. However, in practice, this is rarely so and the documented cases of anaphylaxis are usually caused by a much more limited array of irritants.

Most common ones include:

  • Food: Nuts, shellfish, seafood, milk, eggs
  • Insect bites and stings: Wasps, bees, hornets, ants
  • Latex
  • Contrast agents
  • Medications: Aspirin, ibuprofen, antibiotics

Anaphylactic vs. allergic reactions: What is the difference?

Among the general public, there is still much confusion about the difference between an allergic reaction and anaphylaxis. However, while the two are truly closely related, there are important and notable differences between them.

To start with allergic reaction – it occurs when the person comes into contact with some of the allergens that the body’s immune system will misidentify as threats akin to infections. In response, it will release certain chemicals to the affected area. For people living with hay fever, for example, that means experiencing itchy eyes or sneezing if the pollen particles entered the body via eyes or nose, respectively.

On the other hand, anaphylactic reaction is nowhere near that localised – it occurs when histamine is released into the bloodstream, thus causing a much more extensive reaction on the level of a whole body. Most commonly, it manifests through swelling of various body parts, body-wide skin rash and breathing problems. In addition to this, anaphylaxis is very quick in its onset and although there might be a slight delay between exposure and the first symptoms, once the symptoms do manifest, the condition will worsen rapidly in a matter of minutes.

Can I prevent anaphylaxis?

There are various ways you can decrease the risk of experiencing an anaphylactic shock or minimising the severity of the symptoms, but there is no completely reliable way to ensure that it will not occur. All the different prevention methods can be roughly grouped into two main categories – avoidance strategies and preventive medications.

When it comes to the avoidance strategies, they encompass different ways of avoiding your triggers. Of course, it goes without saying that the first prerequisite for this is actually knowing your triggers. This might require you to undergo testing and find out which allergens you react to. Only then can you develop effective strategies for minimising exposure. For some allergies, this will be easier than for others. For example, it is easier to avoid food you are allergic to than avoiding pollen.

How is anaphylaxis treated?

After the discussion on the dangers and potentially life-threatening properties of anaphylaxis, let’s end on a more positive note. Luckily, the vast majority of anaphylactic reactions can be treated very successfully and only about 1% of all reported incidents results in lethal outcome. Most commonly, anaphylactic shock is treated with adrenaline which is the basis for number one emergency medication for this condition, namely, the adrenaline auto-injectors. On the other hand, a high concentration of pure oxygen delivered directly into the airways has been proven to be a rather successful way of alleviating the symptoms. Finally, medications belonging to class of antihistamines or corticosteroids can be used both in treating immediate symptoms of anaphylactic shock and in preventing it from occurring at first place (or occurring with lesser intensity) when administered prior to exposure to the allergen.