anaphylactic shock

noun

|Updated on: 20 Jul 2018

Definition of anaphylactic shock

: an often severe and sometimes fatal systemic reaction in a susceptible individual upon exposure to a specific antigen (such as wasp venom or penicillin) after previous sensitization that is characterized especially by respiratory symptoms, fainting, itching, and hives

Recent Examples of anaphylactic shock from the Web

Most importantly, watch for signs of anaphylactic shock, like difficulty swallowing or breathing and dizziness or fainting.

— caroline picard, Good Housekeeping, "This Is the Only Thing You Should Do If a Bee Stings You," 6 June 2017
But some people also have a severe allergic reaction, including anaphylactic shock, that can be fatal.

— paul a. smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Smith: Top 5 Wisconsin wildlife risks to humans? Maybe not what you think.," 13 June 2018
The wedding coordinator goes into anaphylactic shock due to a food allergy, and Glasses knocks the wedding cake over.

— refinery29.com, "Grey's Anatomy Season 14, Episode 24 Recap: "All Of Me"," 18 May 2018
EpiPens are common auto-injectors typically used to counter allergic reactions to certain foods, such as nuts, bee or insect stings, or anaphylactic shock, a potentially life-threatening reaction to a foreign substance.

— kevin mccoy, USA TODAY, "U.S. consumers face some EpiPen shortages, Food and Drug Administration says," 10 May 2018
But imagine an EpiPen, which keeps people from going into anaphylactic shock, not working.

— bunny wong, Woman's Day, "10 Expert Tips for Cleaning Out Your Medicine Cabinet," 29 Dec. 2015
Some law enforcement officials surmised that Richardson, who suffered from bipolar disorder, walked into the canyon, took off her clothes and succumbed to anaphylactic shock from extensive poison oak exposure.

— alexander nazaryan, Newsweek, "Lie and Deny: Secrecy and Suspicion Surround the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department," 21 Apr. 2016
So fingers crossed the only thing inaccurate about these findings is the price, because nobody should have to go bankrupt trying to prevent anaphylactic shock.

— chloe metzger, Marie Claire, "The First-Ever Pill for Peanut Allergies Is Coming," 21 Feb. 2018
Tom has to inject himself with his EpiPen, goes into anaphylactic shock, and then collapses.

— jackie frere, Redbook, "Parents Are Not Happy About an Offensive Scene in Peter Rabbit," 12 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'anaphylactic shock.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of anaphylactic shock

1909

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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Medical Dictionary

anaphylactic shock

noun

medical Definition of anaphylactic shock

: an often severe and sometimes fatal systemic reaction in a susceptible individual upon a second exposure to a specific antigen (as wasp venom or penicillin) after previous sensitization that is characterized especially by respiratory symptoms, fainting, itching, and hives