About Allergies: Epinephrine for Allergic Disease: Who Gets It?

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Allergies Allergies Symptoms / Diagnosis Treatment Coping From Daniel More, MD Injectable epinephrine is the treatment of choice for severe allergic reactions. Unfortunately, not all people who are at risk for life-threatening allergic reactions either have epinephrine available or know when or how to use it. Learn about the most common reasons why people get prescribed injectable epinephrine, as well as what you probably don't know about epinephrine.   Why are People Prescribed Epinephrine? Injectable epinephrine is the treatment of choice for anaphylaxis from any cause – with food allergybeing the most common cause. Other common causes of anaphylaxis include venom allergy, latex allergy, drug allergy, exercise and unknown causes (idiopathic). Epinephrine may also be used for angioedema, particularly if it involves the face and obstructs a person’s ability to breathe and severe asthma attacks. In fact, injected epinephrine very commonly used to treat asthma before the development of inhaled medications many decades ago. Search Related Topics:  anaphylaxis  epinephrine  food allergy Learn All About Anaphylaxis There is no single definition of anaphylaxis that is agreed upon by most experts in the field of allergy. In general, anaphylaxis is a life-threatening reaction caused by the release of chemicals, such ashistamine, leukotrienes and tryptase, from mast cells. This may result in a variety of symptoms, including low blood pressure (shock), trouble breathing, and skin symptoms such as hives and swelling. There are a number of causes of anaphylaxis, many of which are allergic in nature and involve allergic antibodies (IgE). However, not all causes involve IgE; exceptions include IV dye reactions and aspirin (NSAID) allergy. Search Related Topics:  allergies  allergist  allergy testing Should You Ever Use an Expired Epi-Pen? In March 2013, a teenage college student with a severe nut allergy accidentally ate a cookie containing nuts. He then developed severe anaphylaxis, but his family did not use his Epi-Pen because the expiration date had already passed, and a 911 operator told them over the phone not to use it. While the teen finally did receive an Epi-Pen injection from a neighbor’s device, it was too late: the student died later that evening at a local hospital. (It is important to realize that it is not clear if using the expired EpiPen would have changed the outcome in this tragic event.) Search Related Topics:  food allergies  anaphylaxis  epinephrine Related Searches Allergies Symptoms Allergy or Allergies Allergies Asthma Skin Allergies Latex Allergies Featured Articles Insect Allergies Anaphylaxis Allergy Shots and Drops (Immunotherapy) Alternative Therapies in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Allergies Glossary of Terms Information on the Most Common Allergy Medications   More from About.com Run Your First 5K Even couch potatoes can be ready for a 5K with just a couple months of training. Read more...> Help! I'm Too Busy Time and stress management tips to help you feel as though you have more time. Read more...> This newsletter is written by: Daniel More, MD Email Me | My Blog | My Forum   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About.com Allergies newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About.com respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 1500 Broadway, 6th Floor New York, NY, 10036 © 2013 About.com   Must Reads What are Allergies? Symptoms of Allergies Diagnosis of Allergies Treatment of Allergies Preventing Allergies   Follow me on: Advertisement