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Anaphylaxis
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Anaphylaxis is an allergic reaction that goes body-wide: it does not stay in the skin or the nose, it hits several body systems at once, it moves fast, and it puts life at risk.
Behind it is an antibody, IgE. When the body meets the antigen again, the specific substance that sets off the reaction, two kinds of cells, mast cells and basophils, degranulate: they dump the chemical mediators they had stored all at once.
What they release includes histamine, which dilates blood vessels and makes their walls leak fluid, and leukotrienes, which narrow the bronchi. Vessels widen and leak like an old hose, while at the same time the airways tighten like a rubber tube.
In brief
Anaphylaxis is an acute, generalized, multisystem allergic reaction that progresses rapidly and is life threatening.
It is usually an IgE-mediated hypersensitivity: on re-exposure to the antigen, mast cells and basophils degranulate and release their mediators.
Histamine dilates blood vessels and increases their permeability, and leukotrienes add bronchoconstriction.
Vessels widen and leak like an old hose, while at the same time the airways tighten like a rubber tube.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingAnaphylaxis, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated