Expert diagnosis and treatment of allergies can help reduce your risk of anaphylaxis
Because almost anyone who suffers from an allergy may one day have a severe allergy attack, as many as 50 million Americans may be at risk for anaphylaxis. Within minutes or hours of exposure to your allergy trigger, you could begin experiencing the sudden, severe, and potentially life-threatening symptoms that characterize anaphylaxis. Your blood vessels would widen, causing a drop in blood pressure that could leave you unconscious. You might also experience swelling in the face or throat that could cause trouble breathing, swallowing, or speaking. In rare cases, anaphylaxis could even result in death. Identifying your allergy triggers, managing them with medications, and being prepared to respond quickly to signs of anaphylaxis might just save your life one day.
Common Triggers of Anaphylaxis
Some of the most common causes of anaphylaxis include:
- Food allergies (especially nuts, shellfish, dairy, and eggs)
- Bee stings and other insect stings
- Latex allergies
- Allergic reactions to medication
You might be surprised to learn that penicillin causes roughly 5,500 anaphylaxis deaths each year in America. That’s 75 percent of all anaphylaxis deaths. By contrast, food allergies only cause about 200 deaths and bee stings cause less than 100.
How We Can Help
Our expert doctors are highly experienced in the treatment of all kinds of allergic reactions, including those allergies that commonly cause anaphylaxis. In addition to diagnosing allergies with testing and treating the inciting cause of allergy symptoms with medications or immunotherapy as appropriate, we can also write prescriptions for epinephrine. Epinephrine can be taken in the event of a severe allergic reaction to prevent full-blown anaphylactic shock. After utilizing epinephrine, your blood vessels will narrow and your throat and face will stop swelling, enabling you to breathe and seek emergency medical help. Fast access to epinephrine has been proven a key factor in children’s ability to survive anaphylaxis.
Because individuals who suffer from asthma are at particular risk for life-threatening anaphylaxis, we especially encourage asthmatics to come visit one of our expert doctors. Call 805-658-9500 now to schedule the appointment that may save your life someday.
