An allergy can present as two extreme manifestations; I had two cases today to demonstrate my point.
One young man came to see me for a patch of thickened skin rash at the back of his neck, about the size of a ten-cent coin. He was diagnosed to have chromium allergy (i.e. allergy to chrome). It was due to a chain he was wearing for some time, a gift from his girlfriend.
The other patient had seen me 5 years ago and was diagnosed as having egg allergy and has actually got well after treatment by me. This time, he had a scaly rash all over his scalp, his face and his whole body. His condition is known as exfoliative dermatitis, a severe allergic reaction. His present severe manifestation is in contrast with what he experienced 5 years ago - only a mild skin rash. This illustrates the unpredictability of allergy.
I can remember some other cases I've had of extreme allergic manifestations.
Many years ago, one patient of mine had an allergy to yellow dye additive (as found in certain foods) and was admitted to a hospital for an anaphylactic reaction (i.e. allergic shock) in Sydney after taking some butter for breakfast. After that incident, she kept an Epipen (Epinephrine Auto-Injector) with her. She had another attack in Kuala Lumpur when she was back in Malaysia but after I prescribed her with probiotic, she has never had another attack since.
Another patient is the daughter of a squash buddy of mine who had peanut-induced anaphylactic shock, which can cause death very rapidly, like 5 minutes. He brought her to see me, and after treatment, she has not had an attack since.
Allergy can range from the very mild to very life treatening
My learning continues...
No comments:
Post a Comment