THOMAS CHACKO: The difference
between allergies
and anaphylaxis--
anaphylaxis can be
the life-threatening type,
meaning-- allergies, when people
think about it,
could be sneezing, hayfever,
or even asthma.
But anaphylaxis could be
those symptoms as well as more,
including hypotension--
or low blood pressure;
wheezing to the point where you
can't breathe;
loss of consciousness
or passing out.
So anaphylaxis
is life-threatening or very
severe allergies.
If it's a food allergy,
most people discover that when
they're younger once they had
the first or second time
of introduction to,
let's say, peanuts or some type
of tree nut.
Possibly other sources
of anaphylaxis,
like insect sting,
like, you know, people could be
life-threatening allergic to bee
stings.
That could be later because you
might not have been stung
by a bee earlier or it could be
your second time that you got
stung that you had
this significant
life-threatening anaphylaxis.
So it depends on what you're
allergic to.
Most of the time you don't grow
out of anaphylaxis.
With food allergies,
about 20% to 25% of patients
may grow out of it.
That means the vast majority--
80-- 80% or so-- will keep it.
So most people do not outgrow
anaphylaxic reactions.
I would say the mortality rates
are not going up, meaning we are
better now at identifying
anaphylaxis and people are much
more aware.
So people aren't dying as much
from anaphylaxis.
Unfortunately, there still are
deaths but not as much
in the past because we're better
at being aware of it
as well as treating it.
