NURS-6501N-09
Jill McKenna Bailey
Discussion Week 5 Forum #2
Main Post
Anaphylaxis
&
Anaphylactic (Distributive) Shock
Anaphylactic, neurogenic, and septic shock are different types of distributive shock.
Anaphylaxis is a sudden severe systemic reaction, a hypersensitivity to an allergen that can be
life-threatening.
Most responses happen within one hour of exposure to the allergen, but a small
number have lethal results within minutes (Bethel, 2013, p. 49).
The extreme form of this
reaction is called an anaphylactic shock; an accelerated allergic reaction causes the release of an
exorbitant amount of histamine causing extreme vasodilation (Hammer & McPhee, 2014, p.
316).
The vasodilation causes extreme hypotension because the size of the vascular system
exceeds the blood volume even though the blood volume is average, referred to as relative
hypovolemia (Hammer & McPhee, 2014, p. 316).
The sensitized genetic predisposed
individual’s body marshalls a vigorous humoral response resulting in a vast production and
release of immunoglobulin IgE antibody.
The IgE and allergen bound and cause the mast cell
degranulation which produces an inflammatory and immune response resulting in vasodilation
and increased vascular permeability. The permeability causes peripheral pooling and tissue
edema (Huether & McCance, 2016, p. 643-44).
The other possible symptoms that occur is
smooth muscle constriction including laryngeal constriction
or laryngospasm and bronchospasm,
abdominal pain with diarrhea (Huether & McCance, 2016, p. 644).
The vasoactive mediators,
