When the Pfizer vaccine was first approved it was recommended that you should only avoid having it if you’d already reacted either to the vaccine itself or a constituent component of it. The Pfizer coronavirus vaccine (and the Moderna one) contains a substance called Polyethylene glycol (PEG), which a very small number of people are […]
Recently I had the opportunity to act as an expert witness at a coroner’s inquest into the death of a young man who died of anaphylaxis in school. Fortunately, fatal anaphylaxis is extremely rare but tragically when it does happen, there are always lessons to be learnt. It is enormously important to identify these lessons […]
Seasonal hayfever (or allergic rhinitis) is very common, affecting up to 25% of people in the UK. It typically develops during childhood and can cause symptoms such as nasal congestion, itch, sneezing and runny nose as well as affecting the eyes and causing asthma symptoms. For many it is just an irritation and can be […]
A question frequently asked by parents after I’ve diagnosed a food allergy, is ‘how bad will the next reaction be?’ One of the most challenging and frustrating aspects of managing food allergy, is that the severity of future allergic reactions is inherently difficult to predict. Fortunately, we know that the majority of allergic reactions are mild. We also know that the […]
Over the last few weeks, the subject of allergies has taken precedence in the news, following the tragic death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who sadly lost her life from a severe allergic reaction. This case received widespread media interest both in the UK and overseas, and as a result, many people with allergies may have been […]
Allergy testing is essential in the accurate diagnosis of allergies and before performing any allergy test taking a thorough clinical history by is vital as this provides the background and reasoning for requiring the allergy test. Generally speaking, allergy tests should only be performed when the history is suggestive of allergy as a cause. Without […]
