What are first aid medications for food allergy

Currently, epinephrine is recognized by the global allergy community as the first-choice first-aid drug for severe food allergic reactions. The most commonly used portable dosage form is a prefilled epinephrine injection pen, which is often called an "epinephrine pen."

Last year, when I was following up in the allergy department, I met a boy with peanut allergy in the second grade of junior high school. He usually pays attention to his food. At the last sports meeting, his classmates did not know about his condition and stuffed half an energy bar containing crushed peanuts. He took a bite without noticing. Within two minutes, he complained that his throat was tight and his eyes were swollen. The mother who accompanied him on the run reacted quickly. She took out the epinephrine pen she carried with her and stuck it on the outside of her thigh through her sweatpants. She pressed on it for 10 seconds before pulling it out. When he was sent to the hospital, he could basically speak normally. The doctors who treated him said that this injection bought the most critical time for subsequent treatment.

I have met many family members of patients who have a misunderstanding. They always think that taking antihistamines such as loratadine and cetirizine can solve the problem. Some people even think that hormones can be the first-choice emergency medicine. In fact, this is not true. Think about it, when a severe allergic reaction occurs, the most dangerous things are laryngeal edema blocking the airway and blood vessels dilating and blood pressure plummeting. Just one of these two problems can be life-threatening in ten minutes. Antihistamines can take more than 20 minutes to take effect at the fastest. They can only eliminate rashes and relieve itching, but are of no use to airway and blood pressure problems. By the time it takes effect, the best first aid opportunity may have been missed.

To use an analogy, adrenaline entering the body is like pressing the emergency pause button for the chaotic immune system. It quickly contracts blood vessels, reduces the swollen throat, and brings back the dropped blood pressure. It also relaxes the smooth muscles of the airway and opens the airway that is almost closed to death. It takes effect in 3 to 5 minutes after intramuscular injection, which is just in the golden window for the rapid progression of allergic reactions.

In the past two years, many institutions have been developing epinephrine preparations that do not require needles, such as the nasal spray type, which can be administered by spraying twice into the nose. It is more friendly to children who are afraid of needles and adults who are resistant to injections. However, this type of product has not yet been approved for marketing in China. At present, injectable epinephrine is still recommended in clinical practice.

Many family members of allergy patients always worry about "if it is not a severe allergy, will the injection have any side effects?" There is really no need to worry about this. As long as people with a clear history of severe food allergy have difficulty breathing, tight throat, dizziness, and large wheals all over the body after being exposed to allergens, don't wait and take the injection first.