Severe allergic reaction?

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macocada
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Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2015 10:43 am
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by macocada on Sat Feb 04, 2017 5:46 pm

Severe allergic reaction?

My 26 year old son recently developed a rash which he thought was heat rash, followed by swollen eyes, lips and hands, wheezy breathing (he is already asthmatic and takes a combined inhaler) as well as a spread of the rash. Over several days he was backwards and forwards to a walk in clinic in London which finally gave him steroid tablets on the third visit - these did the trick pretty much overnight.

HOWEVER, I am at a loss to know what may have triggered this episode - he had just been back home and was returning back to London on a coach when the rash started. The only food which he hadn't had before, at my home, was home made pesto - lots of basil, garlic, pine nuts and olive oil. Overall the problem went on for days although at the time he hid this from me to stop me fussing. I am quite concerned that we don't know what caused this. Are tests available to check for severe allergies via the NHS?

He is of course 26 and invincible and 'far too busy' to pursue the matter, now that all is well again, but I am worried. His own doctor here in the Westcountry probably take some action but now that he lives in London, he hasnt registered with a practice. I know that he is a grown man, but he is still my child and I feel that he should get this checked. I get hayfever and asthma...as does he and his brother ...allergies feature strongly in my side of the family, going back three generations that I know of.

Thanks

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Dr Faheem Latheef
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by Dr Faheem Latheef on Sun Feb 05, 2017 12:47 pm

Re: Severe allergic reaction?

Thank you for your question and sorry to hear about the reaction your son experienced. I can understand that his busy hectic life can get in the way of trying to get to the bottom of what happened but your maternal instincts are absolutely right and it would be important for him to have some investigations especially if it is a true allergy as it then has the potential to happen again and possibly get worse. Sometimes the test can be helpful even if they are negative to exclude an allergic cause for his problems.

There are many different types of allergy testing available on the NHS and the right test can often be worked out on the basis of the history such as: the length of time the problem lasted, was the rash itchy and scaly (like eczema/dermatitis) or was it more like hives/urticaria and moving around different parts of his body, how long did the swelling around his eyes and lips last, how much of his body was involved, has he ever had a reaction like this before and did he take any photos of the rash?

Based on the answers to the above questions he could be investigated initially with tests such as skin prick tests or patch testing which most Dermatologists with an interest in allergy would be able to help him with. As some of the tests like patch testing can be quite time consuming (over the course of a week) I would suggest it would be best done locally to where he works and its probably worth him registering with a GP in London to facilitate this.

Hope this has been of some help but if you have any more information regarding the reaction I will try to be more specific regarding the testing he may benefit from. Good luck and take care.
Dr Faheem Latheef
Consultant Dermatologist and Honorary Senior Lecturer, MBCHB, MRCP (London), MRCP (Dermatology), MBA

http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/on ... atheef.php

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Dr Chris Rutkowski
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by Dr Chris Rutkowski on Sun Feb 05, 2017 1:39 pm

Re: Severe allergic reaction?

Most food-induced reactions (after a single exposure to food) are self-limiting; as his rash lasted a few days and was accompanied by swellings it may have represented an episode of acute urticaria and angioedema (hives and swelling). High dose antihistamines and/or short course of oral steroids are usually helpful but (as mentioned by dr Latheef) if you are concenred about food allergy skin prick tests might be required
Dr Chris Rutkowski
Consultant Allergist, MD, MRCP

http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/on ... kowski.php

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