If you think somebody is experiencing symptoms of anaphylaxis, you should use an adrenaline injector if one is available. Dial 999 immediately afterwards. Show
Call 999 straight away if an adrenaline injector is not available. If you can see a potential trigger, such as a wasp or bee sting stuck in their skin, carefully remove it. Adrenaline injectionsAdrenaline causes the blood vessels to become narrower, which raises your blood pressure and reduces swelling. It also causes the airways to open, relieving breathing difficulties. An adrenaline injection should be given as soon as a serious reaction is suspected. The signs of suspected anaphylaxis are:
The injection can be done by the person with anaphylaxis, but sometimes – if it's a young child or someone who is unconscious, for example – another person may need to do it. Before attempting the injection, make sure you know what to do. You should read all of the instructions carefully when you, or the person you are responsible for, are first prescribed the injector. After injecting, the syringe should be held in place for 5 to 10 seconds. Injections can be given through clothing. After injecting the adrenaline, you should immediately dial 999 for an ambulance, even if the person is starting to feel better. Most people should experience a rapid improvement in symptoms once the adrenaline has been used. If there's no improvement after 5 to 10 minutes, you should inject a second dose of adrenaline, if one is available. This should be injected into the opposite thigh. Read Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) 2014 guidelines on how to use an adrenaline auto-injector (PDF, 188kb). Positioning and resuscitationIn most cases, the person should lie flat, with their legs raised on a chair or a low table, to help maintain bloodflow to the head and heart. Pregnant women should lie down on their left side to avoid putting too much pressure on the large vein that leads to the heart. If the person is conscious but having trouble breathing, they should sit up to make breathing easier. If the person is unconscious, check that their airways are open and clear, and also check their breathing. Then put them in the recovery position to make sure they don't choke on their vomit. Place the person on their side, making sure they are supported by one leg and one arm. Open the airway by tilting the head and lifting the chin. If the person's breathing or heart stops, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) should be performed. Admission to hospitalEven if adrenaline is given, the person will need to go to hospital for observation – usually for 6 to 12 hours – as symptoms can occasionally return during this period. While in hospital, an oxygen mask can be used to help breathing, and fluids given by an intravenous drip directly into a vein can help increase blood pressure. As well as adrenaline, additional medications such as antihistamines and corticosteroids can be used to help relieve symptoms. Blood tests may also be carried out while you're in hospital to confirm anaphylaxis. You should be able to leave hospital when the symptoms are under control and it's thought they will not return quickly. This may be after a few hours, but you may have to stay in hospital for a few days if the symptoms were severe. You may be asked to take antihistamines and corticosteroid tablets 2 to 3 days after leaving hospital to help stop your symptoms returning. You will probably be asked to attend a follow-up appointment so you can be given advice about how you can avoid further episodes of anaphylaxis. An adrenaline auto-injector may be given to you for emergency use between leaving hospital and attending the follow-up appointment. Swelling or narrowing of your throat or the airways to your lungs can cause wheezing. It can also result in shortness of breath, because your lungs can’t hold as much air when they are affected by swelling or mucus buildup. Although asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are most often associated with wheezing, an allergic reaction is another common cause of these symptoms. Sometimes children experience wheezing, but it is not always a sign of asthma. A lung infection can create wheezing in children younger than 5. And wheezing and shortness of breath can sometimes be symptoms of a cold in children with a family history of allergies. Wheezing is often, but not always, related to an asthma attack. During an asthma attack, the airways become more narrow. At first, the person wheezes when breathing out, but as the attack gets worse, the wheezing might happen when breathing in. During a severe asthma attack, there might not be any wheezing because not enough air is moving through the airways.
Don’t let allergies or asthma hold you back. Find an Allergist TriggersAsthma symptoms like shortness of breath are often closely linked to allergies and exposure to allergic triggers, such as ragweed, pollen, animal dander or dust mites. Irritants in the air like smoke, chemical fumes, strong odors or extreme weather conditions can also be triggers. Sometimes exercise or an illness — particularly an illness that affects your breathing like flu or bronchitis — can bring on asthma symptoms. In addition, if you start wheezing or coughing during exercise, or if physical exertion makes it difficult for you to breathe, you may have exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, or EIB. This is also known as exercise-induced asthma. Emotions can also affect the way people breath. Physical actions like crying, laughing or shouting can trigger your asthma. Trying to relax and follow a set of instructions is helpful in handling an asthma attack, but panic can make it worse. The rapid breathing that often comes with strong emotions can narrow your airways even more. Pregnancy can be a trigger for women with asthma in several ways. Hormonal changes that happen during pregnancy can affect the nose and sinuses, as well as the lungs. An increase in estrogen contributes to clogging of the tiny blood vessels in the lining of the nose, which in turn leads to a stuffy nose, especially in the third trimester. A rise in progesterone can also cause shortness of breath. These events may be confused with or add to allergic or other asthma triggers. Learn about common allergy triggers that can contribute to asthma symptoms and how to avoid them:
How to Get TestedAllergists are specialists in diagnosing and treating asthma and other allergic diseases. And allergists are specially trained to identify the factors that trigger asthma or allergies. Asthma is sometimes hard to diagnose because it can look like other breathing problems, such as emphysema, bronchitis and lower respiratory infections. Some people with asthma do not realize they have it and are never treated. Sometimes the only symptom is a chronic cough, especially at night. In other cases, coughing or wheezing may occur only with exercise. Some people mistakenly think they have frequent bronchitis, since respiratory infections usually settle in the chest of people with asthma. To diagnose asthma and distinguish it from other lung issues, allergists rely on the combination of a medical history and a thorough physical examination, including certain tests. The tests include spirometry (using an instrument that measures the air taken into and out of the lungs), peak flow monitoring (another measure of lung function), chest X-rays, and sometimes blood and allergy tests. When to See an AllergistSee an allergist if you develop unexplained wheezing that keeps coming back or along with other symptoms, such as rapid breathing or problems taking in air. If you begin wheezing after being stung by an insect, taking medication or eating something you are allergic to, then get emergency treatment. You should also seek emergency treatment if you have difficulty breathing or your skin turns blue. If you have mild wheezing that comes with a cold or an upper respiratory infection, you might not need treatment. It Could Also Be…Other conditions — some related to allergies and asthma and some not — can lead to wheezing. If your allergist rules out allergies or asthma, ask what else might be causing your wheezing, such as: Can you breathe during anaphylaxis?A person who has an anaphylactic reaction can go into anaphylactic shock. Blood pressure drops severely. The bronchial tissues, which help carry air, swell. These reactions cause wheezing, shortness of breath and even loss of consciousness.
Does anaphylactic shock cause shortness of breath?Anaphylaxis, also called allergic or anaphylactic shock, is a sudden, severe and life-threatening allergic reaction that involves the whole body. The reaction is marked by constriction of the airways, leading to difficulty breathing. Swelling of the throat may block the airway in severe cases.
Why is it hard to breathe while having an allergic reaction?In a person experiencing anaphylaxis, the airways often become narrow, making breathing difficult. In addition, the blood vessels may leak, causing edema, a type of swelling that results from the accumulation of fluid. The reaction may happen immediately after contact with the allergen or within hours of contact.
What happens to respiratory rate during anaphylaxis?Anaphylaxis presents with airway compromise as a result of pharyngeal and/or laryngeal oedema and breathing difficulty. The latter is caused by an increased respiratory rate and/or bronchospasm. There may be evidence of circulatory compromise, such as hypotension and an increased heart rate.
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