Allergy Awareness Week
As I write this blog Allergy Awareness week 2015 is coming to an end, Allergy UK have shared some interesting statistics. You can view their infographic here but the highlights for me are that almost half of adults don’t know what anaphylaxis is and 66% don’t know how to help someone suffering an allergic reaction. So how do you recognise it and what do you need to do?
What is anaphylaxis?
Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that affects the person’s breathing and circulation. It can be fatal if not treated promptly and can lead to collapse within minutes if not treated quickly.
How do you recognise it?
Allergy UK have come up with a useful mnemonic to help us remember:-
FEAR
Face
– is their face/are their lips swollen? Have they gone pale? Are they lightheaded?
Eyes
– is there a look of fear in their eyes? Are they red, watery and puffy?
Airways
– are they wheezing/uncontrollably coughing? Do they have shortness of breath? Are they unable to talk? Are they making a strange sound?
Rash
– is there a red, raised, itchy rash anywhere on their body especially their face or neck?
What do you need to do?
Once you recognise it call for emergency help, either 999 or 112. Help them to use their adrenaline pen. This should be given into the outer thigh and can be given through clothing. There are different adrenaline pens on the market but they all have a similar method of use, there is the Epipen and Emerade and I’ve attached the links for the manufacturer videos. The person will have been taught how to administer it but a symptom of anaphylaxis is panic so they may need help. The autoinjectors have instructions on them also.
It’s important that if someone has needed to use their autoinjector that they go to hospital as it is possible to have a secondary reaction so they need observing for a few hours.
Conflict of Interest
I have used a picture of the Emerade autoinjector as I have permission to use their images. I do not receive any benefit through discussion of particular autoinjectors.
Do you need anaphylaxis training?
If you would like to discuss receiving training on anaphylaxis please contact me.
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