Severe Allergy Symptoms: A Life Threatening Condition

Before discussing what severe allergy symptoms are, lets first to define the word "severe". Severe as defined by most dictionaries means harsh and feeling of punishment, in connection with the body. Thus, mild discomfort such as runny nose, nasal congestion, or watery eye is not included. Severe allergy symptoms are life-threatening; the most common form is the anaphylactic shock. This occurs when the whole body is inflamed; it causes severe labored breathing and elevated blood pressure. If not managed, death can occur in several minutes to few hours.

Anaphylactic allergic reactions can occur in seconds after continuous exposure to an offending substance, so emergency medical treatment is necessary which is usually in the form of epinephrine or adrenaline and oxygen support. This substance is called antigen or allergen. It could come from a bee sting, eating foods that a person has allergies towards, dander from pets, and pollens during spring. Usually, severe allergy symptoms will not occur at an early stage of exposure; however the exposure develops sensitivity in the body. If a person feels like they may have an allergy to a particular food, the right thing to do is to consult a physician to be examined. A skin test will be performed. The test is done by pricking portion of the skin and adding a liquid extract of the substance that is suspected to have caused the allergy. People who know they are susceptible to severe allergy symptoms need to carry prescription epinephrine or an Epi-Pen with them.

Not all severe allergy symptoms are as deadly as anaphylaxis, but all can be extremely uncomfortable. Many of those who suffer from these symptoms turn to anti-histamines for relief. These can be effective, but can also cause side effects like drowsiness. Some newer medications like Loratidine claims to take care of the symptoms without the drowsiness. However, the best way to prevent the symptoms is avoiding the foods that trigger it. Having severe allergy symptoms can be very difficult, but learning how to recognize and deal with it can make easily one's life normal.