Influencer Brendo Yan, 27, died on Wednesday of anaphylactic shock after eating a shrimp dumpling. He was hospitalized for four days, but did not resist
death for food allergy It is considered a very rare event. According to the World Allergy Organization, there are up to 0.32 cases per million people annually. But that’s what happened to the digital influencer Brendo Yan27 years, since great northern riverwho had a strong allergic reaction after eating a shrimp dumpling and died last Wednesday, the 26th.
Food allergy is an exacerbated response of the body to certain proteins present in some foods which are erroneously recognized as aggressors by the immune system and, consequently, attacked. Symptoms can be mild, such as skin and gastrointestinal reactions, to more severe, such as respiratory and cardiovascular reactions.
The most serious and potentially lethal reaction is anaphylaxis, with compromise of the cardiovascular system, hypotension and shock. Within minutes the person can die if not treated immediately with adrenaline. This is what happened to Brendo Yan. He was rescued and was hospitalized for four days, but even so he didn’t put up any resistance.
“These fatal outcomes are rare and make us very sad because they are preventable in at least two stages,” said Dr. Ana Paula Moschione Castro, allergist and immunologist at USP and director of Clinica Croce. “The first, for someone who knows they have an allergy, is to avoid eating the food. But we know that, sometimes, it can be hidden in some preparation or under inappropriate labeling. The second is, once the reaction has set in, to recognize the severity and take steps to reduce the risk of death.”
The main measure, according to the specialist, is to take a injection of adrenaline as fast as possible. In at least one third of countries around the world, patients are entitled to carry self-injectable adrenaline for use in these circumstances. In Brazil, this is not allowed. Therefore, the only possible measure is to go to the nearest hospital to get adrenaline.
“In these cases, when two systems are affected simultaneously, such as the skin and the respiratory system, it is useless to take anti-allergic drugs”, warns the specialist. “You have to go to the nearest emergency room to get the adrenaline.”
In Brazil, there are no official statistics, but the prevalence of people with food allergies is similar to the international one, according to specialists. By age 2, about 8 percent of children have some type of food allergy, usually to milk, eggs, and wheat. This type of allergy, in many cases, is reversible as the child gets older. Among adults, the prevalence is 2%. In this case, the main villains are seafood, especially shrimp, fish, peanuts and tree nuts in general.
“But anyone, at any point in their life, is prone to have an allergic reaction. They could have eaten shrimp all their life without problems and, one day, have an allergy,” warns specialist Alex Lacerda, from the Science Department of Anaphylaxis at the Brazilian Association of Allergy and Immunology (ASBAI). “In people who already know they have allergies, common mistakes are thinking that if you eat just a little, you won’t have a reaction or that if you take an allergy drug first, you won’t have a reaction. Medication beforehand won’t prevent anaphylaxis .”
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
