Hypersensitivity Reactions Practice Flashcards

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers concepts from the Hypersensitivity Reactions lecture, including types of allergic responses, diagnostic tests, medications, and treatments.

Hypersensitivity Reactions

Undesirable reactions associated with an immune response acting against foreign antigens or an organism's own tissue.

Localized anaphylactic reaction

A pale edematous wheal on the skin that contains fluid and is surrounded by a red flare, similar to a mosquito bite.

Systemic anaphylactic reaction

Initial edema and pruritus at the exposure site, followed by constriction of bronchioles, airway obstruction, and shock.

Hay fever (Atopic reaction)

Characterized by sneezing, nasal drainage, swelling of mucosa obstructing the airway, itching around eyes/throat, and excessive tearing.

Asthma reaction

A reaction involving wheezing, tightness in the chest, thick sputum production, and dyspnea.

Atopic dermatitis

Skin lesions that are edematous and contain vesicles.

Angioedema reaction

Swelling that starts in the face and progresses to other parts of the body, with lesions described as itching, burning, or stinging.

Urticaria reaction

Also known as hives; areas on the body that are raised, edematous, pink in color, and described by the client as itching.

Type 2 hypersensitivity reaction

Includes kidney injury, pulmonary hemorrhage (Goodpasture’s syndrome), and hemolytic blood transfusion reactions.

Patch test

An allergen test where a patch is worn for $48$ to $72\text{ hours}$ to observe for a delayed reaction.

Scratch or prick test

An allergen is placed on the skin and pricked to enter the skin; a reaction is typically seen in $5$ to $10\text{ minutes}$.

Intradermal Test

An allergen is injected under the skin, with a reaction typically observed in $10\text{ minutes}$.

Diphenhydramine

An oral or intravenous antihistamine used to manage urticaria and allergic rhinitis; causes drowsiness.

Pramoxine/Calamine

A topical antipruritic lotion that should not be used if the skin is broken.

Epinephrine

A subcutaneous, intramuscular, or intravenous sympathomimetic drug used for anaphylactic reactions to cause bronchodilation and stimulate heart rate.

Pseudoephedrine

An oral or nasal decongestant for allergic rhinitis that should not be used more than $2$ to $3\text{ days}$ to avoid rebound congestion.

Leukotriene receptor antagonists

Oral medications such as Montelukast and Zafirlukast that block leukotriene to prevent airway edema, bronchoconstriction, and mucus production.

Mast Cell stabilizers

Medications like Ketotifen, olopatadine, azelastine, or cromolyn that inhibit the release of histamine and leukotriene.

Immunotherapy

Titrated amounts of allergen administered subcutaneously or sublingually; takes $1$ to $2\text{ years}$ to reach maximum effect.