Anaphylaxis

Relevance to Audience: The EpiPen is used for treating anaphylaxis which is a life- threatening allergic reaction. According to the 2013 article, “Anaphylaxis in America: The prevalence and characteristics of anaphylaxis in the United States,” conducted by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, between 1.6% and 5.1% of Americans face anaphylaxis. That means it occurs in nearly 1-in-50 Americans and is getting closer to 1-in-20 Americans. For those of you who did not already realize you are a victim of anaphylaxis, you could be or know one of the many who are. Someday you, or someone you care about, could need an EpiPen to treat anaphylaxis and this price increase can affect you…

abnormal changes in cells, impacting their size, shape, or organization within the body. Dysplasia is often associated as a result of hyperplasia in the body. Dysplasia may or may not progress to cancer. 11. Anaphylaxis Anaphylaxis is a severe hypersensitive systemic or cutaneous inflammatory response after the body’s exposure to an antigen. Anaphylaxis can cause severe reactions like a skin rash, vomiting, diarrhea, erythema, abdominal cramps, swelling, hives, and/or decrease blood pressure.…

Imagine a family eating dinner in a restaurant on Sunday afternoon. Everyone is laughing and celebrating a birthday together. Both parents and children are enjoying the beautiful weather and the day off school. The merriment continues until the mother glances over to see her seven year old clawing at his throat, struggling to breathe. His face is flushed with fear and hives, his tongue is swollen, and his attempted respirations are difficult. He can't talk, and he obviously needs immediate…

A positive aspect of having Epi-Pens available would be creating a safe state of mind for those who are eating or purchasing food from the establishment. Having a safe state of mind would convince those who has food allergies to not be as fearful while eating at an establishment because if they were to go into anaphylaxis shock, then there are people who have the knowledge of what to do when doing is having an acute allergic reaction and most importantly be able to administer the auto-injectable…

things a physician has to do, none requires as much gut wrenching honesty and courage as facing the loved one of a patient who has just died and trying to explain what happened, particularly when the patient should not have died and you know it. The man sitting across from me had something in his eyes I had seen many times before: a mixture of anger and shock mixed with grief and disbelief. Or maybe it was a composite of all the expressions I have observed over the years in many faces in…

In the pharmaceutical industry, marketplace competition is the only thing that can keep prices in check. This presents a problem for Americans who need to buy from a brand that has essentially monopolized the market of a certain medicine. For instance, over the past eight years, the price of a commonly used medical device, the EpiPen, has been steadily increasing. The EpiPen is an epinephrine auto-injector used to treat severe allergic reactions and anaphylactic shock (Varandani); anaphylactic…

The EpiPen is an auto-injector pen that allows a quick and easy injection of epinephrine into a person 's leg whom is suffering an allergic reaction. Our bodies create a hormone, epinephrine (more commonly known as adrenaline), that increases blood flow to muscles during “fight-or-flight” responses. While at Survival Technology, Incorporated, “Kaplan sought to create a device intended to quickly inject a user suffering from anaphylaxis -- a potentially fatal allergic reaction -- with an…

manufacturer to produce a drug? It is sad to think that some of those that cannot afford to pay for health insurance or those that are barely scraping by paycheck to paycheck are forced to fork out this kind of dough for life saving interventions. The average fire department response time is about 3.2 minutes for an engine company and 4.9 minutes for a ladder company (USFA). Fire stations are generally closer than ambulance bases or hospitals, so the time it takes for an ALS (advanced life…

Anaphylaxis in the Emergency Department Anaphylaxis is a hypersensitivity reaction and can start immediately after a trigger. Anaphylaxis is common in the emergency department and is considered a medical emergency when symptoms are present. This disorder does not discriminate when it comes to age, gender or race. Reactions commonly occur due to medications, insect stings, aeroallergens and food allergies. This disorder can progress rapidly with multiple reactions throughout the body. Without…

EpiPen Prices Causing Concern for Patients When having a child or being a patient of a life threatening allergy, you have an option of the “EpiPen” or the “Auvi-Q”. Unlike the Auvi-Q, a lower priced epinephrine auto injector; the EpiPen is a name brand product, made by the company Mylan, that has been known nation wide to help parents treat their children with life threatening allergies. After being dominant in the market for a large amount of time, 1977 the EpiPen is recognizable during an…