Table of Contents
- Overview
- Symptoms
- Treatment
- Prevention
- Images
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
- Difficulty swallowing
-
Fainting ,light-headedness ,dizziness -
Hives , itchiness - Nasal congestion
- Nausea, vomiting
Palpitations Skin redness - Slurred speech
- Wheezing
Signs and tests
Signs include:
- Abnormal 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.
Images
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Review Date: 05/02/2010
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)

