RNS: Urgent allergy reactions, May 2006
TIME: 2:10
URL: www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2006/hmallergyreactions.htm
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Peanuts, bee stings and fear:
Dealing with potentially life-threatening allergies
University of Michigan allergy doctor offers tips for handling urgent allergic reactions to peanuts, insect stings and more
Suggested lead: Shon Dwyer is constantly fearful that her 7 year-old son Dylan may come in contact with peanuts or any peanut-product. Because of Dylan’s peanut allergy, even a trace of the nuts could send Dylan into anaphylaxis, a severe life-threatening allergic reaction. Here’s Andi McDonnell with more…
The first sign that something was wrong with Shon Dwyer’s son was as sudden as it was dramatic. Dylan was 10 months old when she spotted quarter-sized hives on his face, and soon after, Dwyer learned her little boy had a peanut allergy.
Shon Dwyer, director of the University of Michigan Health System’s Orders Management Project, tells us…
“This allergy really has affected our life. We’ve had to change how you grocery shop, how you prepare food, where you can go, all of those kinds of things. And the reaction to it by other people has been very difficult and you have to get over the hump with your family, and some people can just think you’re overprotective or a little crazy. But it’s our job; we talk about it, to keep him safe and to also keep him as normal as possible. But it does change your life.”
Like many families, the Dwyers face the daily uncertainty that goes hand in hand with such allergies. Dylan, now 7 years old, may be perfectly fine one minute, and then may experience anaphylaxis.
Dr. Marc S. McMorris (M.D.), director of the U-M Health System’s Food Allergy Service, explains...
“Anaphylaxis, or a serious life-threatening allergic reaction, generally comes on very quickly, generally comes on within five minutes to sixty minutes, as opposed to other allergic symptoms such as hay fever or allergic rhinitis. You would find severe symptoms consisting of hives, throat swelling, troubles breathing, nausea. It goes far beyond the usual symptoms one would see with hay fever, for example.”
Because such severe reactions can be unpredictable, families like the Dwyers need to be prepared. That’s why Shon Dwyer always carries an epinephrine self-injector, or EpiPen, which is commonly used to control anaphylaxis among people with allergies to foods, bee stings, latex and medications such as penicillin.
The good news, McMorris notes, is that life-threatening allergies such as Dylan Dwyer’s are not terribly common. About 20 to 30 percent of the population is allergic to something, and of that group, a very small percentage is actually prone to having life-threatening allergic reactions or anaphylactic reactions.
Andi Mcdonnell, U-M Health System News.
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