Archive for the ‘stomach’ Category

Severe Allergies in the Classroom

Friday, October 10th, 2008

AAAAI and FAAN educate about dangers of anaphylaxis

With the upcoming school year approaching, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) and the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) are asking every parent of a child with food allergies or a known insect sting allergy to alert their child’s school to the condition and have an action plan ready.

A potentially life-threatening allergic reaction, called anaphylaxis, can be triggered by exposure to one or more allergens, including foods, insect stings, drugs, and latex products. Anaphylaxis can affect multiple areas of the body (such as skin, respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract and the cardiovascular system). Symptoms can include severe headache, nausea and vomiting, sneezing and coughing, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue and throat, itching all over the body, and anxiety. The most dangerous symptoms include difficulty breathing, a drop in blood pressure, and shock - all of which can be fatal.

“All school staff must be made aware of the potentially severe nature of an anaphylactic reaction,” said S. Allan Bock , MD , FAAAAI, and Chair of the AAAAI’s Anaphylaxis Committee. “Parents need to work together with teachers, coaches and school nurses to avoid triggers and act quickly if a reaction occurs.”

To protect your child, and prevent anaphylaxis, the AAAAI and FAAN encourage parents to take the following steps before the school year begins:

* Work with an allergist/immunologist to identify your child’s triggers and reinforce these to your child. If possible, provide your child with a medical bracelet or necklace that identifies his or her specific allergy.
* Tour your child’s school or childcare facility before school starts, and meet with the staff to inquire about policies regarding foods and other potential triggers brought into the classroom.
* Provide staff with information and resources to educate them about your child’s allergy. Have your child’s allergist/immunologist provide clear, written instructions on recognizing a reaction early and administering medication in case of a reaction. Inform staff to call 911 immediately if a reaction occurs.
* Teach staff when and how to properly administer medications such as injectable epinephrine, encouraging them to handle the medication and ask questions. Explain to them that they cannot delay in administering medication to your child, and that they are obligated to assist your child and to include him or her in normal school activities. Children with a history of anaphylaxis should carry epinephrine with them at all times.

buy cheap nasonex allergies free prescription pills
FedEx overnight shipping free prescription online pharmacy

Symptoms Of Anaphylaxis

Wednesday, September 24th, 2008

Anaphylaxis is a “systemic reaction,” which means that various parts of the body are affected that are a distance from the allergen’s initial entry site (e.g., a sting site for insects or the stomach for foods). Symptoms of anaphylaxis can vary from mild to severe and are potentially deadly. Here is a list of possible symptoms that may occur alone or in any combination:

* Skin: hives, swelling, itch, warmth, redness, rash
* Breathing:
wheezing, shortness of breath, throat tightness, cough, hoarse voice, chest pain/tightness, nasal congestion/hay fever-like symptoms, trouble swallowing
* Stomach: nausea, pain/cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, itchy mouth/throat
* Circulation: pale/blue color, poor pulse, passing-out, dizzy/lightheaded, low blood pressure, shock
* Other: anxiety, feeling of “impending doom,” red/itchy/watery eyes, headache, cramping of the uterus

Reactions usually begin within minutes of exposure, but may be delayed. Sometimes symptoms resolve, only to recur or progress a few hours later. The most dangerous symptoms are low blood pressure, breathing difficulties, shock and loss of consciousness, all of which can be fatal.

There are a variety of medical conditions that may mimic anaphylaxis. These include heart attacks, anxiety attacks, choking and seizures, among others. If you experience any unusual symptoms, it is vitally important to seek immediate medical attention (e.g., call 911) for prompt treatment and to determine the cause of the symptoms.

Substances that trigger reactions

* Foods: Essentially any food can trigger an allergic reaction, but some of the most common ones that cause severe anaphylaxis are: peanuts, nuts from trees (e.g., walnut, cashew, Brazil nut), shellfish, fish, milk and eggs.
* Stinging insects: The venom of stinging insects such as yellow jackets, honeybees, paper wasps, hornets and fire ants cause discomfort for most people who are stung. However, reactions can be severe and even deadly for people with allergies to these venoms.
* Medications: Virtually any medication can trigger an allergic reaction. Common categories of drugs that cause anaphylaxis are antibiotics and anti-seizure medicines. Medical therapies such as certain post-surgery fluids, vaccines, blood and blood products, radiocontrast dyes, pain medications and other drugs may cause anaphylaxis or anaphylactoid reactions.
* Latex: Some products made from natural latex (from the rubber tree) contain allergens that can trigger reactions in sensitive individuals. The greatest danger of severe reactions occurs when latex comes into contact with moist areas of the body or internal surfaces during surgery, because more of the allergen can rapidly be absorbed into the body.
* Exercise: Although rare, exercise can also trigger anaphylaxis. Oddly enough, it does not occur after every exercise session and in some cases, only occurs after eating certain foods before exercise.
* Other: Anaphylaxis has rarely been associated with exposure to seminal fluid, hormones and exposure to extreme temperatures. When no cause is found and the reaction is definitely anaphylaxis, it is termed idiopathic anaphylaxis.

buy cheap nasonex allergies free prescription pills
FedEx overnight shipping free prescription online pharmacy

When To See An Allergy/Asthma Specialist

Sunday, September 21st, 2008

The AAAAI’s How the Allergist/Immunologist Can Help.

Consultation and Referral Guidelines Citing the Evidence provide information to assist patients and health care professionals in determining when a patient may need consultation or ongoing specialty care by the allergist/immunologist. Patients should see an allergist/immunologist if they:

* Have a diagnosed food allergy.
* Have limited their diet based upon perceived adverse reactions to foods or additives.
* Have a family history of allergies and have or are expecting a newborn and are interested in identifying strategies for preventing allergy in the infant.
* Have experienced allergic symptoms (urticaria, angiodema, itch, wheezing, gastrointestinal responses) in association with food exposure.
* Experience an itchy mouth from raw fruits and vegetables.
* Are an infant with recalcitrant gastroesophageal reflux or an older individual with recalcitrant reflux symptoms, particularly if they experience dysphagia.
* Are an infant with gastrointestinal symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea (particularly with blood), poor growth, and/or malabsorption whose symptoms are otherwise unexplained, not responsive to medical management, and/or possibly food-responsive (even if screening allergy tests are negative).
* Have known eosinophilic inflammation of the gut.

buy cheap nasonex allergies free prescription pills
FedEx overnight shipping free prescription online pharmacy

Stomach Germ May Protect Against Asthma

Monday, July 28th, 2008

A stomach bacterium called Helicobacter pylori may reduce a child’s risk of developing asthma by as much as 50 percent, a new study suggests.

H. pylori has been present in the human stomach probably since humans were humans. However, the germ began disappearing over the course of the 20th century with the introduction of antibiotics and cleaner water and homes, perhaps making children more susceptible to asthma, the study authors suggested.

“In our study we asked the question, is there any relationship between having H. pylori in the stomach and having asthma and other allergic disorders,” said lead researcher Dr. Martin J. Blaser, the Frederick H. King Professor of Internal Medicine and chairman of the department of medicine at the New York University Langone Medical Center in New York City.

“We found a strong inverse association between H. pylori and childhood asthma, childhood hay fever and childhood allergies,” added Blaser, who’s also a professor of microbiology and has studied H. pylori for more than two decades.

Blaser thinks that H. pylori may protect the body against asthma. “When children have H. pylori in their stomach, their immune system is different than if they don’t have H. pylori,” he said.

H. pylori has been disappearing especially since World War II, which is when the incidence of asthma began increasing, Blaser said.

For the study, Blaser and his colleague Yu Chen, an assistant professor of epidemiology, collected data on 7,412 children who participated in the 1999 to 2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey IV, conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics.

Among children in the survey, just 5.4 percent born in the 1990s tested positive for H. pylori. In addition, 11.3 percent of the children under 10 had taken antibiotics in the month before the survey.

Blaser and Chen found that among children 3 to 13 years of age, those who carried the stomach bug were 59 percent less likely to develop asthma than children without H. pylori. These children were also 40 percent less likely to suffer from hay fever and other allergies, such as eczema or rash.

Among children aged 3 to 19, the researchers found that those who harbored H. pylori reduced their risk of asthma by 25 percent.

“This is a new way of saying who’s at risk for asthma and who’s not,” Blaser said. “You can’t mess with Mother Nature. This bacterium that has been present forever in the human stomach has been disappearing, and that has consequences.”

Some of the consequences are good, however, Blaser noted. These include the decline of ulcers and decreases in stomach cancer among adults, he said. “But these are diseases of old age,” he said. “It is possible that H. pylori may be protective of children, but bad for old people.”

The study findings were published online July 15 in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Dr. Clifford Bassett, medical director of Allergy and Asthma Care of New York in New York City, thinks the findings open a new window on doctors’ understanding of asthma and allergies.

“It appears this will add to our knowledge and research looking at incidence and prevalence of asthma and allergic diseases in children and adults in an increasingly sanitized world,” he said. “The relevance of H. pylori as a potential risk in asthma is quite thought-provoking by any means.”

buy cheap nasonex allergies free prescription pills
FedEx overnight shipping free prescription online pharmacy