Rapid cooling of a hot body, e.g. by jumping into cold water, may cause anaphylactic shock – experts from the nationwide educational campaign remind Prepare for a shock!
In the summer, rescuers of the Voluntary Water Rescue Service (WOPR) joined it. Therefore, educational materials on anaphylaxis are distributed at major bathing sites all over Poland.
Campaign Expert Prepare to shock! Dr. Ewa Cichocka-Jarosz points out that rapid cooling of a hot organism is generally dangerous, also for young people. It carries the risk of sudden death as it disrupts the autonomic nervous system (which innervates the heart) and can lead to severe cardiac arrhythmias.
People at particular risk of developing these disorders are the elderly, with ischemic heart disease, with heart disorders in the form of prolonged QT complex (the QT segment is assessed in an ECG examination) or taking medications that affect intracardiac conduction – the specialist warns.
The president of the Polish Federation of Asthma, Allergy and COPD Patients’ Associations, Dr. Piotr Dąbrowiecki points out, however, that sudden cooling of a hot body may also contribute to the occurrence of a life-threatening anaphylactic shock.
In some people, jumping into cold water can cause mast cell degranulation, which is a rapid ejection of histamine and prostaglandin-containing vesicles from them. This causes urticaria on the skin, breathing problems and shortness of breath, and even anaphylactic shock may occur, the allergist told PAP.
He noted that these are very rare situations. Recently, however, I had a patient who experienced anaphylactic shock due to contact with cold water while at the seaside. She survived thanks to the rescuers who gave her adrenaline – emphasized the expert.
Vice-president of the Voluntary Water Rescue Service, Paweł Błasiak, reminds that anaphylactic shock is a direct emergency. “Knowing that it can be caused by inadequate preparation before entering the water is crucial. We want to prevent such accidents and pass this knowledge on because it can save someone’s life, ”he explains.
The educational materials for people resting by the water present the rules of safe entering the water and behavior near water bodies. The main thing is to enter it gradually, because then the body can even out the temperature difference. It is also important to avoid the risk of biting hymenoptera insects (such as wasp, bee), whose venom can also trigger an anaphylactic reaction. Therefore, one should not walk barefoot on the grass and drink sweet drinks outside and eat sweets whose smell attracts insects.
The campaign will also include a series of trainings for WOPR rescuers, during which issues related to identifying symptoms of anaphylaxis and providing assistance to a person in anaphylactic shock will be discussed in detail.
Anaphylaxis is a severe, life-threatening, systemic or generalized, immediate hypersensitivity reaction to some factor – most often an allergen, e.g. Hymenoptera venom, substances present in food (e.g. seafood, peanuts), latex, but also e.g. exercise. Its symptoms appear suddenly, most often within a few minutes and usually not later than a few hours after exposure to the agent in question. These can include skin symptoms such as hives and itching of the skin, shortness of breath, breathing problems as well as cardiovascular problems such as a drop in blood pressure, increased heart rate, and also fainting or unconsciousness. The most severe form of anaphylaxis is anaphylactic shock, where the rescue for the patient’s life is the rapid administration of adrenaline.
Prepare for a shock over the nationwide program! the patronage was taken by the Polish Society of Allergology. More information about the campaign can be found on the website (http://www.odetchnijspokojnie.pl/przygotuj-sie-na-wstrzas/) and on the Facebook profile.