It’s one of the most valuable interventions for bolstering long-term wellbeing and maintaining independence in your later years, but for some people exercising can pose serious health risks.
For a small percentage of the global population – approximately 0.05 to 2 per cent – physical exertion is associated with symptoms that range from unpleasant to potentially fatal, due to an allergy known as exercise-induced anaphylaxis (EIA).
The condition is a rare, severe and potentially life-threatening allergic reaction triggered by exercise.
“In effect, the body reacts to physical exertion in much the same way it might react to a wasp sting,” says Dr Scott Pereira, consultant immunologist at Harley Street’s Medical Express Clinic in London.
Cases of EIA are rare and under-recognised, but lifetime prevalence is estimated to be around 0.05 per cent, with the condition accounting for approximately 5 per cent of all cases of anaphylaxis.
