Dr. Manuel Torres, Family Medicine Physician at Baptist Health Primary Care, says anaphylaxis starts when you feel very general symptoms, like itching or swallowing dysfunction. “The most important thing is the aggressiveness of the situation. If the situation is very rapidly changing, it’s not time to sit and wait and see if this is going to get better, it’s time to act, because as sooner you intervene, the better,” he explains.

He points out anaphylaxis is a diffuse response, a multi systemic response and it can lead to an anaphylactic shock where it begins to affect your cardiorespiratory ability to maintain blood pressure and that requires acute intervention.