What Parents Need To Know About Anaphylactic Shock

Food allergies are as common as ever. Many people have some sort of allergy, but the severity of the allergic reaction varies. If your child has an allergy, it is important that you know what to do if they go into anaphylactic shock. Here are a couple things that you need to know about food allergies and anaphylactic shock to keep your child safe.

How Do You Prevent Anaphylaxis?

Prevention is the best way to keep your child safe. One of the best things you can do is figure out if the child has any type of allergies early on. When introducing new foods to the child, it is important that you only introduce one food at a time. Do not give the child yogurt with strawberries. If the child has an allergic reaction, you won't know if it was the yogurt or the strawberries that caused it. Thus, you should give the child individual foods at a time and then watch closely for any kind of allergic reaction.

You can also take the child to an allergist, like Oak Brook Allergists, to get them tested for possible allergens. This will help you to quickly identify any problem foods and avoid them.

Once you know your child's allergies, remove the allergens from the house. Older children will be able to identify foods that could harm them, but younger children may not be able to. Therefore, if your child is allergic to peanuts, take everything with peanuts out of the house until they are old enough to recognize not to eat it. Many times a young child will mistakenly eat something, without the parent around, and suffer serious consequences.

What Should You Do If Your Child Goes Into Anaphylatic Shock?

If your child starts to show the symptoms of a severe allergic reaction you should first call 911. Then get the child to lay down with their feet up. Talk to the child so that they won't go into shock. Going into to shock will only exasperate the problem. If you have an epinephrine shot, you should use it now. If not, the paramedics will administer one when they get there. Generally you shouldn't try to give the child antihistamine while they are in shock, since the airways could be closing and there is a risk of choking.

If your child has any sort of allergy, it is important that you are prepared to deal with a severe allergic reaction. Talk to your allergist if you have more questions about how to deal with anaphylaxis. 


Share