Anaphylaxis

What is it?

Anaphylaxis (ah-nuh-fuh-lak-sis) is also called anaphylactic or allergic (uh-ler-jik) shock. It happens when your body is irritated after taking a medicines or eating a food. Some chemicals or other living things (insects, grasses, weeds) can also cause anaphylaxis. Things you are allergic to are called allergens (ah-ler-jens). When an allergen gets into your blood stream, your body tries to fight it. Anaphylaxis is the reaction that happens when your body starts that fight. Anaphylaxis can kill you. It is an emergency.

Causes: Anything that you are allergic to can cause anaphylaxis. Some of theses things may be foods such as nuts, shell fish, fruits, eggs, fruit, or milk. Other causes may be medicine such as penicillin, aspirin, or dyes used to take x-rays. Stings or bites from bees, spiders, or biting ants may cause a serious reaction.

Signs/Symptoms:

• You may have chest tightness, wheezing, swelling or tingling around your mouth, or trouble breathing. Other signs are itchy or red skin, fast heart beat, feeling faint, or blacking out. Your tongue may swell and cause you to choke. You may have stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting (throwing up), or diarrhea.
• These signs may appear seconds or minutes after the allergen has gotten into your body. The attack may last a few seconds or a few hours. Anaphylaxis is usually sudden and very serious.

Care:

• Call 911 or 0 (operator) for help. Anaphylaxis is an emergency. You will need CPR if your heart or breathing have stopped. Emergency care givers will give you epinephrine (e-pih-neh-frin) medicine in a shot or in your vein. This will help your body fight the allergen.
• Your care giver will quickly treat your breathing, heart, or skin problems. You may need to stay in the hospital for 12 to 24 hours. If you are sent home from the emergency room, you should have someone stay with you for at least 24 hours. Symptoms of anaphylaxis can sometimes come back within a few hours of the attack.
• Your care giver will try to find out what caused your anaphylaxis. By knowing what has caused the reaction, you can stay away from it in the future.

Choices

Discuss your treatment options with your care giver. You can work with him/her to decide which medicine and care will be used to treat you. You always have the right to refuse treatment.

Learn

About your anaphylaxis and ways to care for yourself. You can then take better care of yourself at home. Teach people around you what they need to know if you have another anaphylaxis attack. Ask your care giver any questions you have about your care.

Preventing "Poison Ivy" Rash

If you live in an area where poison ivy, poison oak or poison sumac grows, you may have already suffered the intensely itchy dermatitis (rash) popularly known as "poison ivy." It usually takes several exposures to produce a reaction, so those who have not yet suffered from it may eventually develop the rash if they are exposed to the plants again.

A fundamental step in prevention is to avoid the offending plants. In order to do so, one must be able to recognize them. Poison ivy is common in the Midwest and eastern U.S. It may appear as a woody, ropelike vine, a shrub that grows on the ground, or a freestanding shrub. It usually has 3 leaflets per stem, but may have as many as 9. The leaves are green in summer and red in fall, with yellow or green flowers and white berries. Poison oak grows in the areas between New Jersey and Texas as a low shrub. However, along the Pacific coast it may be present in clumps up to 6 feet tall or vines up to 30 feet long. The leaves are oaklike, in clusters of 3, with yellow berries. Poison sumac thrives in boggy areas, such as the Southeast. It can be a rangy shrub up to 15 feet tall, with 7 - 13 smooth-edged leaflets and pale yellow or cream-colored berries.

Prevent Poison Ivy After Exposure: If exposure does occur, clean the skin with large amounts of isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol within 10 minutes. Next, wash the skin with water alone. Soap can lift some of the plant"s oily toxins and move them around on the skin. The skin may remain unaffected if these steps are carefully followed. Shoes, clothing, golf clubs or other objects that may have come into contact with the plant should be wiped off with alcohol and water while wearing gloves. Then discard the gloves.

Use a Poison Ivy Blocker: A nonprescription lotion known as IvyBlock is the only product that can prevent the rash caused by exposure to poison ivy. All recommended usage steps must be followed exactly. Shake the bottle well before use. Apply the lotion at least 15 minutes before any plant contact. Enough lotion should be applied so that a smooth, wet film is visible. After it dries, the coating will still be visible, indicating protected areas. In order to remain effective, the product should be reapplied every four hours. Soap and water will remove the product when all danger of plant exposure has passed. Children under age 6 should not use the product unless advised by a physician. Those who already have the rash caused by poison ivy should not apply IvyBlock. If the lotion gets into the eyes, flush them with water for 20 minutes or more. The product contains alcohol and should be kept away from flame. The product is flammable on the skin until it is completely dry.

Treating Poison Ivy: If the rash does occur, soaking in bath water with colloidal oatmeal (e.g., Aveeno powder) can relieve itching. Applying calamine lotion to the rash can have a soothing effect. A local anesthetic spray such as Dermoplast or a hydrocortisone-containing ointment, such as Cortaid, can also provide relief.