Suggest Treatment For Hives All Over Body With Swollen Face And Hands

Posted on Fri, 31 Jul 2015

Question: My 15 yr old grandson had an allergic reaction to shrimp. He broke out in hives all over and his face and swelled, but not his throat. He was calm and could easily talk. I gave him 1 benadryl, and the swelling went down by about 2/3. His face and hands are still puffy. He is suppose to fly from XXXXXXX to XXXXXXX in 4 hours. Its a 9 hour flight. Is it safe to send him? Is there a chance this will flair up until the shrimp leaves his system?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Pradeep Kumar Jain (35 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Yes,there are chances

Detailed Answer:
Hello

Thanks for the query

Allergic reaction to shrimp is a type 1 hypersensitivity reaction.In this reaction there can be immediate reaction that occurs within minutes of intake of allergen and another is late-phase reaction which can occur hours after the immediate reaction and can last a few hours and usually resolve within 24-72 hours.The signs and symptoms can include redness and swelling of the skin, airway narrowing, sneezing, coughing, and wheezing.
So you have seen the immediate reaction and still there are chances of delayed reaction.
I would suggest you to give him Benadryl(Diphenhydramine an antihistaminic/antiallergic) again after 6 hours.Also give oral steroid(prednisolone) 20 mg tablet i tablet three times a day.
These medication will decrease the chances of further progression but still you have to be alert when he is boarding the flight.
I hope this helps.
Please do ask if you have any more query.
Regards

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar