- HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]: The Doctor's
Consultation Camera Class by Snapshot The Doctor's Consultation:
by Dr. Iain Corness Anaphylaxis. Anna who? Anna what? The
difficult sounding name of Anaphylaxis is just a fancy word for
the most severe form of allergic reaction you can have. Those
people who have experienced this will attest to just how
frightening it can be. And they have good reason to be
frightened - it is classed as a medical emergency as people can
die from this reaction. It is also much more common than you
would imagine. The quoted figures from America are that
Anaphylaxis occurs at an annual rate of 30 per 100,000. The
causes are multiple and include food allergy, penicillin,
cephalosporin and sulfur drugs, intravenous contrast medium
(used in some special X-Rays), aspirin and non-steroidal anti-
inflammatory drugs, walnuts, cashews and pistachios and insect
stings. The commonest food allergy is peanuts and again going to
the American figures, peanuts cause 30,000 documented