Greg Rutherford of Strictly Come Dancing is recuperating after being taken to the hospital with a possible allergic reaction, and his unusual symptoms have surprised many.
Greg, 36, was screaming in anguish and clawing at his skin before going into insanity on Saturday, causing his fiancée Susie Verrill to bring him to the hospital, where he was “pumped full of steroids and antihistamines.”
While they don’t know what triggered the reaction, it sounds terrifying. So, what are some of the surprising ways that allergies may damage your body?
Margaret Kelman, specialist allergy nurse at Allergy UK, says that an allergic reaction can appear in a variety of ways, with certain symptoms being more prevalent than others.
She said: ‘During an allergic reaction, the immune system releases of lots of chemicals into the blood stream including histamine that cause a lot of the symptoms of an allergic reaction.
‘Skin symptoms, such as extreme itching and swelling, are a common feature of an allergic reaction.’
While we are all accustomed to scratching an itch, skin problems such as Gregg’s might cause you to claw at the afflicted region.
Anaphylaxis is the term given for an acute allergic reaction that can develop rapidly. On the subject of anaphylaxis, Margaret says: ‘These symptoms can affect your airways, breathing, circulation and also often neurological symptoms.
‘Examples of such symptoms include difficulty breathing, chest or throat tightness.’
Feeling faint and dizzy, as well as collapsing in severe circumstances, can occur during an intense response, therefore it’s critical to sit down as soon as the dizziness appears to avoid harm.
According to Margaret, one lesser-known indication of an allergic response is “feeling anxious or that something really bad is happening”.
As Greg discovered, delirium is a possible side effect of anaphylaxis.
Venom from bee or wasp stings is a typical cause of allergic reactions during the summer months.
Amena Warner, head of clinical services for Allergy UK adds: ‘For most people this is a small to large, localised swelling. Whilst these symptoms may be uncomfortable, they are not life-threatening.
‘However, a small percentage of people may develop symptoms that are not just at the sting site.
‘In such instances, there may be difficulty in breathing and/or a drop in blood pressure, and/or problems with circulation which result in feeling dizzy or faint, collapsing and even losing consciousness.’
What to do if someone has an anaphylactic reaction:
- Allergy UK advises to lie the person flat with legs raised – If breathing is difficult allow to sit with legs raised. Do not stand the person up.
- Dial 999 for an ambulance and state anaphylaxis to get medical help as soon as possible.
- Stay with the person having the allergic reaction until medical help arrives.
- If asthma and symptoms of a severe allergic reaction occur at the same time then adrenaline should always be given first and the asthma relief inhaler afterwards.
- In the case of a severe allergic reaction in an individual who has been prescribed an AAI pen (auto adrenaline injector), this should be administered as soon as possible. If there is no improvement after five minutes and another adrenaline autoinjector (AAI) is available, a second dose of adrenaline can be given ideally in the other leg.
- If a person has an allergic reaction that requires adrenaline, they should always go to hospital for further observation and treatment.
In addition, Amena states you may start coughing and your tongue may enlarge. Surprisingly, your voice may shift as well, when you strain to swallow.
Again, this is a life-threatening anaphylactic response that can also be triggered by penicillin and food allergies.
Amena continues: ‘For those with an allergy to pollen – hay fever – the symptoms can really affect quality of life. These include itchy eyes, nose, ears, throat, palate, sneezing, runny and/or blocked nose and sneezing.
‘These can usually be managed without emergency medical attention, however, poorly managed symptoms of hay fever can result in difficulty breathing and even provoke an asthma attack.
‘When this happens, it is important to seek urgent medical attention.’