Final answer:
Anaphylactic shock causes a severe drop in blood pressure due to increased vascular permeability and vasodilation, not increased peripheral resistance. Epinephrine is used to treat it by increasing blood pressure, improving breathing, and modulating heart rate.
Step-by-step explanation:
The answer is B) No. Anaphylactic shock actually results in a drop in blood pressure, not an increase. This severe allergic reaction is caused by a massive release of histamine from mast cells and basophils, which leads to increased vascular permeability and fluid loss from the circulatory system to the interstitial tissues. The resulting decrease in blood volume leads to a severe decrease in blood pressure (shock), not due to increased peripheral resistance, but rather due to vasodilation and fluid shift.
Epinephrine is the drug used to counteract the effects of anaphylactic shock by constricting blood vessels to increase blood pressure, relaxing bronchial smooth muscles to improve breathing, and modulating heart rate. Anaphylactic shock can be fatal if not treated immediately with epinephrine to combat respiratory distress and plummeting blood pressure.