Dr. Dave Explains: The Allergy Cascade

In today's video, Dr. Dave Strobel talks briefly about the allergy cascade, as well as treating and preventing allergic reaction.

The allergy cascade is the physiological response that the body has when it is exposed to allergens, whether it is pet hair, peanuts, or pollen. The severity of the response can vary from a runny nose and watery eyes to full blown anaphylactic shock depending on the allergy in question, but it is ultimately the same process.

The presence of allergens causes the muscles in blood vessels to relax and to dilate, which in turn causes swelling in the tissues around the blood vessels, as well as a drop in blood pressure. In most cases, this is a fairly minor health concern, and often more of a nuisance than a real problem.

Some times, as is often the case with allergies to beestings and nut allergies, the allergen causes a more general, full body reaction. Blood vessels all over the body dilate and this results in a sudden and severe drop in blood pressure, often to the point that the heart is not is not able pump enough blood to provide oxygen to or to remove waste from the tissues all over the body. This results in anaphylactic shock as the tissues start to die of, and this can lead to death if left untreated.

Obviously not all allergic reactions are life threatening. For many people they are just annoyances that they put up with when visiting friends or family. But even in the non life-threatening cases, there are things that can be done to deal with these allergies. There are options for allergy treatment ranging from plans as simple as avoiding the things you are allergic to, to medical immunotherapy, as well as a variety of options for medication.

This video is a brief summary of a larger learning module on the allergy cascade, histamines, and treatment options You can watch the full lesson, for free on our website.

Note: These videos are presented for educational purposes only. Your use of this site does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Specific medical advice is only offered through membership in HELPcare Clinic.

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John Aase

John is part of HELPcare’s content development team and lives with his wife Bella in Plymouth, Minnesota. He is an MFA candidate at Hamline University.