We would like to know your opinion, and ask you to share your personal
experience on severe allergic reactions (anaphylactic reactions).
What is anaphylaxis ?
Anaphylaxis is an acute systemic (generalized) allergic reaction occurring rapidly after exposure to the offending allergic substance. The most common causes include insect bites/stings, food allergies, and drug allergies.
The reaction occurs after a person has become sensitized (that is, the immune system has been taught to recognize a substance as a threat to the body). On the second or subsequent exposure, an allergic reaction occurs. This reaction is sudden, severe, and involves several parts of the body.
The immune system releases histamine and other substances causing the
following reactions :
•throat and mouth swelling
•*difficulty swallowing or breathing
•*rapid heart beats
•*difficulty breathing- due to severe asthma or throat swelling
•hives
•skin redness or inflammation
•abdominal pain or cramping, nausea, vomiting
•*blood pressure drop
•*fainting, lightheadedness
One of the symptoms marked with a * must always be present for diagnosis of a severe anaphylactic reaction.
If you, or one of your children suffers from severe anaphylactic reactions, we would like to have your opinion on how the reaction was managed by yourself and the medical staff.
In order to improve medical care, it is important for us to know how this problem is managed.
Your data will be handled confidentially, but we will ask for your e-mail address in order to contact you for possible clarification.
If you, or one of your children, suffered from an anaphylactic reaction with
one or more of the symptoms marked by the *, we invite you to fill out the data
sheet on the next page.