INTERESTING FACT: About 1% to 2% of Canadians are at risk of an anaphylactic reaction!

Woah! My first time encountering such a word called anaphylaxis. The first thought that came to my mind : Is anaphylaxis a symptom or a serious disease? After looking up the web I found out that it was actually a life threatening allergic reaction. The term comes from the Greek words ανα ana (against) and φύλαξις phylaxis (protection). Medical terms sure knows how to come up with this word! :)

So what does Anaphylaxis actually mean?
Here's a story of how it came about, which dates back about 100 years ago.

The story begins on a cruise aboard Prince Albert I of Monaco's yacht. The Prince had invited two Parisian scientists to perform studies on the toxin produced by the tentacles of a local jellyfish, the Portuguese Man of War. Charles Richet and Paul Portier were able to isolate the toxin and tried to vaccinate dogs in the hope of obtaining protection, or "prophylaxis," against the toxin. They were horrified to find that subsequent very small doses of the toxin unexpectedly resulted in a new dramatic illness that involved the rapid onset of breathing difficulty and resulted in death within 30 minutes. Richet and Portier termed this "anaphylaxis" or "against protection." They rightly concluded that the immune system first becomes sensitized to the allergen over several weeks and upon re-exposure to the same allergen may result in a severe reaction.


So, Anaphylaxis means a general allergic reaction which is considered an acute, severe reaction, often with hypotension, resulting from the release of bioactive mediators from mast cells which are responsible for the clinical features. They can be categorised as mild, moderate or severe.




Clinical diagnosis of anaphylaxis involves the recognition of one or both of the two severe features of airway compromise (laryngeal oedema and/or asthma)
and hypotension (collapse, loss of consciousness, fainting).

For example, urticaria and angio-oedema, in the absence of laryngeal oedema or airway involvement, is not anaphylaxis.


General Features of anaphylaxis also includes:
· Erythema
· Angio­oedema
· Laryngeal oedema
· Asthma
· Itching of palate or external auditory meatus
· Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain
· Sense of impending doom
· Fainting, lightheadedness
· Collapse
· Loss of consciousness




People with asthma, seasonal allergies, or eczema are at a higher risk of anaphylaxis. Before age 16, anaphylaxis is more common in boys than in girls. After age 30, it is more common in women than in men. Race and geographic location do not affect the risk of anaphylaxis.


CITATION:

Anaphylaxis symptoms,diagnosis, treatment and causes- wrongdiagnosis.com(2010). Retrived 6 Feb 2010 from: http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/a/anaphylaxis/intro.htm


Anaphylaxis-Causes, symptoms,treatment, diagnosis-common factsheets, Body&Health.(2010) Retrived 6 Feb 2010 from:http://bodyandhealth.canada.com/condition_info_details.asp?disease_id=319


Anaphylaxsis symptoms and diagnosis,F Estelle R Simons(2010) Retrived 6 Feb 2010 from : http://www.uptodate.com/patients/content/topic.do?topicKey=~u55pia.nJGQ/Gs


Anaphylaxis(Severe Allergic Reaction)Symptoms, causes, treatment,and prevention. Jerry R. Balentine, Melissa Conrad Stöppler(2010) Retrived 6 Feb 2010 from: http://www.medicinenet.com/anaphylaxis/article.htm