|
|
 |
JACI Highlights - June 2008
Use of multiple doses of epinephrine in food-induced anaphylaxis in children
Kirsi M Järvinen, MD, PhD, Scott H Sicherer, MD, Hugh A. Sampson, MD, and Anna
Nowak-Wegrzyn, MD
A person highly allergic to a specific substance (such as food, drugs, latex or insect sting) can experience what is known as anaphylaxis, a severe and potentially fatal reaction that occurs suddenly and rapidly after exposure to the allergen and affects the whole body. The most common cause of anaphylaxis in children is food allergy. Epinephrine is the drug of choice for treating anaphylaxis and individuals who are at risk for these severe allergic reactions are advised to carry a kit of self-injectable epinephrine at all times. In an upcoming issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Järvinen et al report on a study they conducted to learn about the prevalence and risk factors associated with the use of multiple doses of epinephrine for treating food-induced anaphylaxis in children. The researchers studied the histories of 413 food-allergic children (median age, 4 ½ years); 78 of whom had received epinephrine for anaphylactic reactions and 19% of those reactions were treated with more than one dose of epinephrine. Peanuts, tree nuts and cow's milk were found to be the cause of more than 75% of these anaphylactic reactions. Patients who received two or more doses of epinephrine more frequently had asthma than the patients receiving a single epinephrine dose. This current study provides important novel information about risk factors for severe anaphylaxis and, after additional studies are done, will contribute to developing guidelines for prescribing multiple doses of epinephrine for children at-risk for food-induced anaphylaxis.
<back>
|
