Question
What is anaphylaxis and what are some symptoms of it?
Answer
Anaphylaxis is a sudden, severe, and potentially fatal systemic reaction involving various body areas, as noted in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis (Mikael Häggström, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons).
The skin, heart, stomach, mouth, and lungs can be involved in an anaphylactic reaction.
Anaphylaxis Symptoms
- Skin:
- Itching, redness, swelling
- Mouth:
- Itching, swelling lips, tongue, metallic taste
- Stomach:
- Vomiting, diarrhea, cramping
- Lungs:
- SOB, wheezing, coughing, chest pain
- Heart:
- Weak pulse, dizziness, faintness
- Headache
- Nasal congestion
- Watery eyes
- Sweating
- Confusion
- Impending doom
- Loss of consciousness
The one area of the body that is most concerning is the mouth. Anytime there is itching or swelling of the lips, and the tongue or a metallic taste noticed in the tongue or the mouth, there is a possibility of airway obstruction. Be very mindful of those symptoms. Not everyone will experience some other symptoms, like a rash or swelling of the eyes, watery eyes, and shortness of breath or wheezing. Again, be very mindful of the mouth symptoms as this is potentially very serious.
This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the course, Anaphylaxis Management: More than Just an Epi-Pen!, presented by Nancy Nathenson, BS, RRT.
