Name: ______________________________________ Date: _________________

Assessment and Management of Patients with Allergic Disorders

Activity A. Fill in the blanks.

1. Antibodies, the most effective defense mechanisms in the body, react with antigens, in three ways:
__________________________________________, ____________________________________ and
_____________________________________.

2. The classification of immunoglobulin (Ig) that occupies certain receptors on mast cells and produces an
inflammatory response is _______________________________________.

3. Antibodies formed by lymphocytes and plasma cells in response to an immunogenic stimulus are called
__________________________________.

4. Prostaglandins are primary chemical mediators that respond to a stimulus by contracting smooth muscle
and increasing capillary permeability. This response causes ___________________________________.

5. Type III hypersensitivity reactions involve the binding of antibodies to antigens. List two possible
results: __________________________________ and __________________________________.

6. Two examples of a type IV hypersensitivity reaction (occurs 24 to 72 hours after exposure) are
________________________ and _____________________________.

7. The most common cause of anaphylaxis, accounting for 75% of fatal reactions in the United States, is
__________________________________.

8. The initial medication of choice for a severe allergic reaction is ______________________________,

administered _______________________________________.

9. Patients should be advised that a “rebound” anaphylactic reaction can occur ______________________
hours after an initial attack, even when epinephrine has been given.

Activity B. Briefly answer the following.

1. What happens during the physiologic response that causes an allergic reaction?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________

2. What is the role and function of histamine in response to an allergic threat?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

3. What are the four types of hypersensitivity reactions (types I to IV)?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
 4. What are the three types of skin allergy tests and how are they administered?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

5. What is the difference between an atopic and nonatopic IgE-mediated allergic reaction?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

6. What clinical manifestations occur during an anaphylactic reaction?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

7. What priority interventions are used in the treatment of an anaphylactic reaction?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

8. What are the four types of contact dermatitis and how are they recognized?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

Activity C. Match the medication in Column II with the antagonist or inhibitor in Column I.

Column I Column II

_______ 1. Leukotriene receptor antagonist a. Hydroxyzine

_______ 2. Leukotriene receptor inhibitor b. Zileuton

_______ 3. Second-generation H1 inhibitor c. Montelukast

_______ 4. First-generation H1 inhibitor d. Levocetirizine

Activity D. Consider the scenarios and answer the questions.

CASE STUDY: Allergic Rhinitis

Caloy is a 26-year-old contractor who specializes in finished basements and suffers from allergies related to
materials used. Because of his job, he is frequently working in environments where there are substances that
stimulate an allergic reaction.

1. The nurse is educating Caloy on how he can recognize symptoms that indicate an onset of an allergic
reaction. An allergic reaction may be preceded by what symptoms?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

2. What does the nurse inform Caloy may signal a more severe form of allergic reaction?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
 3. What would the nurse include in the teaching plan regarding Caloy’s allergies?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

CASE STUDY: Latex Allergy

Mindy, a new student in a nursing program, is beginning her first clinical rotation at the hospital. She and
another student are giving a patient a bath, wearing latex gloves, when Mindy informs the other student that she
is itching on both of her hands. When the gloves are removed, Mindy has erythema covering both hands.

1. What type of reaction to the latex is Mindy experiencing?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

2. What can Mindy do to eliminate this type of reaction?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

3. Mindy asks her instructor if it would help if she used lotion prior to donning gloves. What should the
instructor inform her?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

4. What types of testing can Mindy receive that will give her a definitive diagnosis of latex energy?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

Source:

Hinkle, J.L. & Cheever, K.H. (2018). Brunner & Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing (14th ed.).
Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer.