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- What is anaphylaxis?
- Symptoms of anaphylaxis
- Causes of anaphylaxis
- Prevention of anaphylaxis
- Risk factors for anaphylaxis
- Complications of anaphylaxis
- When to see a doctor about anaphylaxis
- Diagnosis of anaphylaxis
- Conventional treatment of anaphylaxis
- Alternative/complementary treatment of anaphylaxis
- Living with anaphylaxis
- Caring for someone with anaphylaxis
Symptoms of anaphylactic shock tend to develop rapidly although the initial presentation can be delayed and/or deceptively mild.
The general initial symptoms of anaphylaxis (which occur within a few minutes to two hours of contact with the allergen) are:
- Itching
- Metallic taste in the mouth
- Tingling sensation
Other symptoms of anaphylaxis are:
- Coughing
- Diarrhoea
- Hives
- Loss of consciousness
- Low blood pressure
- Sensation of warmth
- Stomach cramps
- Swelling of the mouth and throat area
- Vomiting
- Wheezing or other difficulty breathing
Symptoms sometime start quite mildly and can progressively get worse over a number of hours.
Biphasic anaphylaxis
In about 20% of all cases of anaphylaxis, symptoms start off quite mild, go away and then come back about 2-3 hours later with alarming severity. The second-phase symptoms occur in the respiratory tract and are usually more severe than the first-phase symptoms.
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Anaphylaxis is most likely to happen if one of the following three scenarios occurs within minutes to an hour after eating a food allergen or being exposed to the allergen (insect bite etc) (adapted from Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network)
1. Skin symptoms or swollen lips
A person has an allergic reaction of the skin (hives, rash) or swollen lips and either the symptoms below:
- Difficulty breathing
- Lowered blood pressure
2. Exposed to a suspected allergen
If a person has been exposed to an allergen and two or more of the following symptoms also occur:
- Difficulty breathing
- Gastrointestinal symptoms (cramping pain, diarrhoea, vomiting)
- Lowered blood pressure
- Skin symptoms (rash, hives) or swollen lips
3. Exposed to a known allergen
If a person was exposed to a know allergen and experiences:
Anaphylactic shock affects most body systems in a devastating way and can be fatal.
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