Why does the body go into anaphylactic shock if it’s potentially life threatening?

Question

Why does the body go into anaphylactic shock if it’s potentially life threatening?

In: 10

Answer 1

The body doesn’t decide to go into anaphylactic shock. It’s an overreaction of the immune system to an antigen. What happens is massive systemic release of molecules called cytokines that normally function to recruit other immune cells, cause vasodilation, and cause capillary leakage. Under normal circumstances, these actions help direct immune cells to areas of injury/infection for your body to fight. In anaphylaxis, this is exaggerated leading to system-wide vasodilation which causes a dangerous drop in blood pressure and organ damage through lack of blood flow.