I have anaphylaxis via sesame & my only symptom (and of course the most dangerous) is my airways closing up, making it difficult to swallow anything for the next 24 hours. I understand that an allergic reaction is just the body releasing antibodies for a ‘non-threat’ but why does the body decide to close airways? This never happens when you are infected with a virus, so why does it occur during anaphylaxis?
In: Biology
Very basic explanation – Because anaphylaxis is a systemic reaction. Your body will recognise the allergen and mast cells start degranulating. You then have prostaglandins, histamine and other inflammatory mediators etc circulating through the body. In the airway, they cause constriction of the bronchi and bronchioles while the body releases secretions there as well. The result is your airway swells and you struggle to breathe.
Same pathophysiology causes your blood vessels to become permeable and fluid moves from inside the vessels to outside and your blood pressure drops, you get rashes and hives on your skin and you feel nauseous
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