Anaphylaxis is a serious allergic reaction that can cause death.
It can be characterized as below:
Triggers of Anaphylaxis
The triggers of anaphylaxis can include foods (tomatoes, cereals, nuts, celery, eggs, shellfish) medicines (NSAIDs and another popular one penicillin), insect stings (wasps and bees), anaesthetic (general), latex and exercise.
Exercise Induced Anaphylaxis
Exercise induced anaphylaxis (EIA) is also a life threatening syndrome that is not fully understood as of yet.
It is suggested that exercise alone may not be the trigger. Instead, exercise accompanied with the prior ingestion of food or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) minutes or hours before hand may be the root cause. As it has been stated that the two factors alone (exercise or food/ NSAIDs) may not cause symptoms.
The most common type of exercise to provoke the reaction is that of a medium to high intensity such as running, aerobics, football and dancing.
EIA is presented similarly to regular anaphylactic shock. During exercise a person may feel:
1. A warm flushing sensation
2. Irritation to the skin
3. Rapid swelling of the face, throat, tongue and hands.
Further symptoms can occur if the exercise activity is not stopped immediately such as abdominal pain and cramping, sickness, diarrhoea, respiratory distress and loss of consciousness.
Both types of anaphylaxis can be treated by Epinephrine (Adrenaline) and injected via an Epi Pen. It is recommended the casualty go to hospital after to be check over.
Yolande Fowler-Wright, BSc (Hons) Sports Therapist MSST
YFW Sports Therapy
References
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/anaphylaxis/
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11882-010-0150-y
Click to access PDIA-34-29338.pdf
Click to access Food-Dependent-Exercise-Induced-Anaphylaxis.pdf
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