Anaphylaxis Overview: Addressing Unmet Patient Needs

Anaphylaxis is widely recognized as a life-threatening condition, yet there is a gap between what patients know and need to know in an emergency situation. Anaphylaxis falls into a category of severe and dangerous conditions that places the supreme responsibility of symptom recognition and immediate life-saving treatment directly on the patient. Recent research illuminates that patients are unable to readily recognize the symptoms of anaphylaxis and often do not have an epinephrine autoinjector available for self-treatment. Because most anaphylactic reactions occur outside of the medical office, every possible opportunity to teach patients how to self-treat should be optimized.