anafilaxia
Published 30 October 2026, 20:39
anafilaxia (anaphylaxis) — a severe allergic reaction affecting the whole body
A rapid allergic reaction that does not stay on one patch of skin but spreads through the whole body and blocks breathing. According to the leaflet that comes with an adrenaline auto-injector, you can recognise it by itching, hives, redness, swelling of the lips, tongue, throat, hands and feet, wheezing, hoarseness, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and loss of consciousness. It usually starts within minutes of an insect sting, eating a food or taking a medicine.
Where you come across it. A wasp, hornet or bee sting; food containing an allergen; an injection or a tablet.
It is stopped by adrenaline, not by an antihistamine tablet or an asthma inhaler. If you have been prescribed an adrenaline pen, use it straight away, then call 112 and say it is anaphylaxis.
Official website: sns24.gov.pt/tema/alergias/alergias