Ayurvedic Management of Acute Food Induced Anaphylactic Reaction - A Case Report

Food anaphylaxis is an allergic syndrome manifested by an abrupt onset of symptoms within minutes to hours after ingesting a food. Anaphylaxis is recognized by cutaneous, respiratory, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal signs and symptoms occurring singly or in combination. The list of foods implicated in anaphylactic reactions is unlimited and any food protein is capable of causing an anaphylactic reaction [1]. Some foods are known to cause toxic effects and adverse reactions in some individuals. Adverse food reactions can be defined as abnormal responses to an ingested food. The abnormal food reactions could be either due to food hypersensitivity, food allergy or food intolerance. Food allergies are the single most common cause of generalized anaphylaxis in hospital emergency departments accounting for about one third of cases. Studies on food allergy are still in infancy in India. Although food induced allergic reactions to be quite high, very few significant data is published to address this issue in India [2].