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Anaphylaxis

Allergic reactions
Allergic reactions
Allergic reactions to medication
Allergic reactions to medication
Anaphylaxis
Anaphylaxis
Antibodies
Antibodies
Food allergies
Food allergies
Hives
Hives
Insect stings and allergy
Insect stings and allergy
Shock
Shock
Alternative Names

Anaphylactic reaction; Anaphylactic shock; Shock - anaphylactic


Symptoms

Symptoms develop rapidly, often within seconds or minutes. They may include the following:

  • Abdominal pain or cramping
  • Abnormal (high-pitched) breathing sounds
  • Anxiety
  • Confusion
  • Cough
  • Diarrhea
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Fainting , light-headedness , dizziness
  • Hives , itchiness
  • Nasal congestion
  • Nausea, vomiting
  • Sensation of feeling the heart beat (palpitations)
  • Skin redness
  • Slurred speech
  • Wheezing

Signs and tests

Signs include:

  • Abormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia)
  • Fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema)
  • Hives
  • Low blood pressure
  • Mental confusion
  • Rapid pulse
  • Skin that is blue from lack of oxygen or pale from shock
  • Swelling (angioedema) in the throat that may be severe enough to block the airway
  • Swelling of the eyes or face
  • Weakness
  • Wheezing

The health care provider will wait to test for the specific allergen that caused anaphylaxis (if the cause is not obvious) until after treatment.



Review Date: 04/28/2008
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III., MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Stuart I. Henochowicz, MD, FACP, Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, Georgetown University Medical School. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).
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