Anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis – General Information

Anaphylaxis – Symptoms

Anaphylaxis – Treatment

Anaphylaxis is considered to be a life threatening medical condition because of rapid constriction of the breathing ways, in most of the cases within minutes of onset, and can easily lead to a respiratory failure or, worse, to respiratory arrest. In most of the cases, the brain or any organ is damaged easily if the patient cannot breathe. Because of the severe character of the condition, patients who suffer from it or are about to experience the disease need the help of health care professionals. The first aid measures for the disease include the rescue breathing process. Rescue breathing can be hindered by the inflamed airways, and if the patient stops breathing on his own, it is the only option to get oxygen to him until medical attention is available. There are many treatments for Anaphylaxis, and one of these is the administration of epinephrine, also known as adrenaline. The epinephrine administration prevents the worsening of the airways suppression and stimulates the heart to keep working, which is usually life-saving. The epinephrine medicine has the effect on Beta-2 adrenergic receptors inside the lung as a powerful bronchodilator opening the breathing ways, relieving any allergic and histamine induced asthmatic attack of the disease.

If the patient has been recently diagnosed with Anaphylaxis, he can carry an EpiPen, which is an injection for emergency administration of epinephrine medicine. The use of an EpiPen or any other device only gets short term and limited relief of the symptoms. Tachycardia, which is known as a rapid heartbeat, can be provoked by stimulation of Beta-1 adrenergic receptors inside the heart, leading to an increased contractility, which is a positive inotropic effect, and frequency, also a chronotropic effect. Gradual administration of the epinephrine medicine can lead to the appearing of tachycardia symptoms and, in some cases, of ventricular tachycardia, when the heart rates can reach up to 240 beats per minute, which can be fatal for the patient. Overdoses of epinephrine medicine may rarely lead to a cardiac arrest. The epinephrine medicine is administered intramuscular, and the recommended dose by the doctors is about only 0.3 to 0.5 ml of a 1:1.000 dilution. There are patients who suffer from severe allergies usually carry preloaded syringes with epinephrine medicine or diphenhydramine, prescribed as Benadryl, and dexamethasone prescribed as Decadron, everywhere they go, which can be an unknown an uncontrolled environment. There is a clinical treatment for Anaphylaxis, which is supported by the doctor in a hospital setting, where to goal is to treat the cellular hypersensitivity reaction, but also to relieve the symptoms. The antihistamine drugs including diphenhydramine or chlorphenamine, which act by inhibiting the effects of histamine on histamine receptors, are still administered but are usually not sufficiently effective in curing the disease. This is why overdoses of intravenous (IV) corticosteroids including dexamethasone or hydrocortisone are usually recommended. Hypotension symptoms are treated with intravenous liquids and sometimes vasopressor medicines. In bronchospasm case, the use of bronchodilator drugs, such as salbutamol is effective. Medical attention including mechanical ventilation can also be considered as an option in the case of Anaphylaxis.