What you should know about
Anaphylaxis
Anaphylaxis
• Is a severe allergic reaction
• Involves more than one bodily system, for
example the skin and respiratory tract or
gastrointestinal tract
• Can be life-threatening
• Epinephrine, or adrenaline, is the medication
of choice for handling an anaphylactic reaction
Anaphylaxis
Is caused by:
• Food
• Insect stings
• Medications
• Latex
Food-Allergy Induced Anaphylaxis
• Accounts for 30,000 emergency room visits
each year
• Causes between 150 to 200 deaths each
year; many are children
• More people die of food allergy reactions
than insect sting and medication allergy
Symptoms of a Severe Allergic
Reaction Can Include
Respiratory tract:
–Itchy, watery eyes, running or stuffy nose, sneezing,
cough, tingling of the mouth, itching or swelling of the
mouth or throat, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath,
wheezing, asthma,
GI tract:
–abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
Skin:
–hives, eczema, itchy red rash, swelling
Symptoms of a Severe Allergic
Reaction Can Include (2)
Cardiovascular
– Drop in blood pressure, loss of
consciousness/fainting, shock, death
Anaphylaxis
• Patients with peanut or tree nut allergy and
asthma appear to be at increased risk for
anaphylaxis
• Epinephrine (adrenaline), the medicine of
choice for treating an anaphylactic reaction
is available by prescription as an autoinjector
–EpiPen® or EpiPen Jr.®
Anaphylaxis Management
• Accidents are never planned
• Quick treatment can be life-saving
• Create a plan for managing a reaction before
you need it
• Up to 20% of students who will have an
anaphylactic reaction have their first one in
school
• Educate others on what to do in case you
need their help
3 Rs of An Allergic Emergency Plan
• Recognize symptoms early
• React quickly
• Review what caused the reaction
Anaphylaxis Management
An emergency plan of action should include:
• What symptoms to look for
• What medications to use
• Medication dosage instructions
• Where will medications be kept
• What others should do
• Allergy emergency practice drills
Key Steps in Anaphylaxis
Management
• Recognize students
• Know what symptoms to look for
• Administer epinephrine quickly
• Transport to hospital after EpiPen® use,
then call parents
How to Use EpiPen®
How to Hold
• Form a fist around the
center of the unit
• Pull off gray activation cap
How to Use
• Hold black tip near outer thigh
(always apply to thigh)
Count to 10
• Swing and jab into outer thigh. Hold
in place and count to 10
What you should know about
Insect Stings
• Symptoms usually occur within
minutes
• Reactions can vary from mild to lifethreatening
• Local reactions do not predict a
severe reaction
What you should know about
insect stings (2)
• Local reactions are found at site of sting
and can cause painful swelling and itching
• Symptoms usually disappear within a few
hours
• Some local reactions can cause swelling
in a large area, i.e. the entire arm from
a sting to the hand
Managing Students with
Insect Stings
• Identify the allergic student
• Minimize exposure to stinging insects
– Avoid wearing flowers outdoors
– Wear long-sleeve shirts, long pants, and shoes when
walking on grassy areas
– Keep hands and face clean of sweet liquid
– Avoid large bushes, especially flowering ones
– Keep garbage covered
– Avoid drinking sweetened liquids outdoors; if
unavoidable, keep drinks covered
Treatment of Insect Stings
• To relieve mild symptoms
–
–
–
–
Place a cold compress on the sting site
Antihistamines may relieve itching
Baking soda and water paste may reduce reactions
Applying a topical steroid cream may be helpful in
slowly reducing the reaction size
• Administer EpiPen©, if authorized
• Seek immediate medical attention for students
with a history of severe reactions or at first
sign of symptoms of a severe reaction
What you should know about
Latex Allergy
•
•
•
•
Latex allergy is an emerging health issue
Affects 5 to 10% of healthcare workers
Affects 1 to 6% of general population
High risk groups
– Rubber industry workers
– Health care workers
– Children with spina bifida and others with
multiple surgeries
Latex and Food Allergy Connection
Protein in some foods cross react with latex proteins:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Bananas
Chestnut
Passion fruit
Avocado
Kiwi
Celery
Melon
Latex Allergy Symptoms
Skin
• Hives
• Rash
Respiratory
•
•
•
•
Itchy, red, watery eyes
Sneezing
Runny nose
Coughing
Latex Allergy Symptoms (2)
Symptoms can be severe and include:
• Difficult breathing
• Shortness of breath
• Shock
• Loss of consciousness
• Death
There is no cure for latex allergy
Avoidance of latex products is critical
Latex-containing Products that
Commonly Cause Reactions
• Gloves
• Balloons
• Condoms
Latex-containing Products* that
Rarely Cause Reactions
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Rubber bands
Erasers
Rubber parts for toys
Products made from crepe rubber (soles of shoes)
Latex clothing
Elastic on clothing
Feeding nipples and pacifiers
* Latex paint does not contain latex
Additional Resources
• Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network -http://www.foodallergy.org
• Allergy & Asthma Network/Mothers of Asthmatics,
Inc. -- http://www.aanma.org
• American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and
Immunology -- http://www.aaaai.org
• American Academy of Pediatrics -http://www.aap.org
Additional Resources
• American College of Allergy, Asthma, and
Immunology -- http://www.allergy.mcg.edu
• Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America -http://www.aafa.org/home
• Food Allergy Initiative -http://www.foodallergyinitiative.org
• International Food Information Council Foundation -http://www.ific.org