Why does having the combination of asthma and food allergies put someone at a greater risk of having anaphylaxis?
Several factors are associated with an increased risk for anaphylaxis. Patients with asthma are at higher risk because they can develop significant acute spasm of the airways along with the other symptoms of anaphylaxis. This was obvious in the articles published on fatal/near-fatal food anaphylaxis. Patients taking beta-blockers for other medical conditions such as high blood pressure and migraine headaches may be resistant to standard therapeutic agents used to treat anaphylaxis and may be at increased risk for severe protracted anaphylaxis. These risk factors have also been demonstrated in studies pertaining to insect sting allergy and patients experiencing anaphylaxis while receiving allergy immunotherapy.
