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Anaphylaxis - Key information

  • Food allergy occurs when the body’s immune system reacts to an ingredient that is harmless to most people. The food that causes the response is known as an allergen.

  • Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction - the extreme end of the allergic spectrum. Symptoms may include generalised flushing, difficulty in breathing and can result in cardiac arrest and death.

  • Common causes of anaphylaxis include foods such as peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, fish, shellfish, dairy products and eggs. Non-food causes include wasp or bee stings, natural latex (rubber), penicillin or any other drug or injection.

  • Acute, severe food allergy is thought to affect half a million people.

  • The prevalence of food allergy is at its highest in young children (about one in 17 children). In most cases the allergy is mild. Around 80-90 per cent of children outgrow their sensitivity by the age of five. Children are very likely to outgrow an allergy to milk, eggs, soy or wheat. Allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish or fish are less frequently outgrown.

  • Research suggests that around one in 70 children across the UK are allergic to peanuts. A House of Commons report in 2004 suggests that the figure may now be as high as one in 50 – a quarter of a million children.

  • Anaphylaxis is treated with adrenaline (which is also called epinephrine). Pre-loaded adrenaline injection kits – EpiPen or Anapen – are available on prescription for those thought to be at risk of a severe reaction.

  • Allergic disorders affect all ages, both sexes and all social and ethnic groups in the UK.

  • International comparisons show that the UK population has the highest prevalence of allergy in Europe and ranks among the highest in the world.

  • Disease frequencies of the more serious and systemic allergies, e.g. anaphylaxis, drug and food allergy, are increasing fast

  • The rise of allergic diseases over the last three decades cannot be reliably explained although a number of theories have been considered to do with changes in our environment as a consequence of increasing affluence and modern lifestyles

  • Numbers of deaths due to allergy are difficult to assess. There is evidence that anaphylaxis causes some 10 to 20 deaths per year but many of these are not recorded as such on the death certificate.

The Anaphylaxis Campaign

The Anaphylaxis Campaign is a registered charity which provides information and guidance to people affected by potentially life-threatening allergies.  One of the charity’s main aims is to create a safe environment for people with allergies by educating the food industry, schools, pre-schools, colleges, health professionals and focussing on medical facts, food labelling, risk reduction and management of the condition.

The Anaphylaxis Campaign is the only charity to exclusively meets the needs of people at risk from anaphylaxis and severe allergic reactions.