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Anaphylaxis is a fast-acting reaction in the body that develops upon contact with a stimulus, such as food, an insect sting, or ingestion of a drug. This process is very dynamic. Symptoms appear fairly quickly after contact. Something begins to itch, hives appear, lips may swell, bronchial tubes narrow, we have difficulty breathing, diarrhea appears, abdominal pain, pressure drop, loss of consciousness, and in extreme cases, death.
What can cause anaphylactic shock?
Half of these events are indicative of allergies, but the other half are complicated hypersensitivity reactions to the stimulus. The most common foods leading to anaphylactic shock include:
- milk,
- eggs,
- nuts,
- shellfish
- the fish.
We can potentially be allergic to anything. At the moment, we treat allergy as a civilization disease. Research shows that half of the population are people who are allergic to something. Some of them are people who have had an anaphylaxis incident. We are talking about it when the pressure drops sharply. It is estimated that 100-150 people die each year because of it.
Insects and anaphylactic shock
In the spring and summer season, insects – wasps and bees – pose an additional threat. How to deal with them? The first time contact with these insects is relatively safe. However, we should not then calmly wait for the second sting. After about a month, let’s do some tests, i.e. allergy tests, thanks to which we will see if this has caused the sting an immune reaction in the form of production of an excessive amount of IgE antibodies. If so, we are at risk that another sting may result in anaphylaxis.
How to help a patient in anaphylactic shock?
The reaction may be small, resulting in swelling lasting several days, or serious, with hives within a few minutes. problems with breathing and pressure. In the second case, we are talking about anaphylactic shock.
How can I help myself in case of anaphylactic shock? The drug that saves the lives of patients in shock is adrenaline in a pre-filled syringe. You can give it yourself if you get shock symptoms. In this way, we will stop the process of developing anaphylaxis. Sometimes, however, the patient’s condition does not allow the drug to be administered on its own. It is worth wearing a wristband with the words “I have a shock. Save me. Call an ambulance. Such a band will be a signal to passers-by that we need help.
What if we see a person whose shock is very advanced? We should stop, check what happened and give the patient first aid until an ambulance arrives.