Little Boy’s Death Gives People Significant Lesson About Food Allergies

One tragic incident that happened last Thanksgiving was the untimely death of an 11-year-old Oakley Debbs who just ate a piece of cake. The cake contains walnuts that caused an allergy to be triggered in the poor boy.

Oakley Debbs' body reaction began as a small blister, according to reports, which went away after he was given Benadryl. It was escalated to vomiting and anaphylactic shock with seizures and cardiac arrest that followed. The Debbs administered an EpiPen three times but it did not help.

According to Dr. Manny Alvarez, Fox News Channel's senior managing health director, when severe allergic reactions occur like anaphylactic shock, hospital setting is needed to counteract the effects of the allergen. Anaphylactic shock is often severe and sometimes fatal systemic reaction in a susceptible individual upon exposure to a specific antigen.

During this shock, patients experience laryngeal spasms, which are when the vocal chords constrict or close, meaning there is no air flowing from the mouth into the lungs and that is the time when breathing will be hard for the patient. This state of the patient requires trained professionals to disrupt the spasm and administer a breathing tube in order to maintain oxygen flow to the brain.

If air flow will not be put back quickly, then there is a risk of brain damage or even brain death. The same risks apply with systemic swelling, which involves swollen mucosa that interferes with oxygen flowing to the tissues. In this circumstance, large doses of intravenous steroids are required to be given quickly.

Oakley Debbs is just one of the million young people who typically loves sports and hanging out with friends living with an allergy. His case was an eye opener for everyone in dealing allergies. It is a call for everyone to be in safeguard when taking foods or even being in an environment that is prone to allergy attack.

Oakley Debbs is one of the estimated 3 million Americans with a peanut or tree nut allergy. Precautions should be given to a person with allergy in a specific food. It is better to educate oneself about food ingredients and its cross-contamination.

Intake of unfamiliar food should be treated in a careful manner. Remember that it is still better to prevent the worse.

Allergy in specific food should not be taken lightly as it can go from mild to worse situation in a matter of minutes. Allergy attacks when it is worse should not be also treated in a typical or usual manner or even treated with a typical antigen. When it is severe than usual, go to the hospital immediately for it could go fatal if it is not treated correctly.