Anaphylaxis and Its Management

Abstract

Although mast cells and anaphylaxis were discovered near the turn of the nineteenth century, the relationship between this cell type to anaphylaxis only occurred decades later. Anaphylaxis is a clinical event occurring when mast cells and/or basophils are activated to secrete mediators with vasoactive, smooth muscle spasmogenic activities, often through a pathway involving allergen, IgE, and high-affinity IgE receptors on the surfaces of these cells, but sometimes through non-immunologic direct activators of these cells or because of genetic disorders that increase the activatability of these cells. Clinical and laboratory parameters are used to increase the precision with which anaphylaxis is diagnosed, and an increasing variety of interventions are designed to mitigate acute anaphylaxis or to prevent future episodes of anaphylaxis. However, unmet needs remain, particularly with better diagnostic tests and treatments of this condition, as well as a more complete understanding of what determines anaphylactic severity.