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Published on: October 14, 2014
Anaphylaxis in Israel: experience with 92 hospitalized children
V Hoffer1, O Scheuerman, N Marcus
1Department of Pediatrics B, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petah Tikvah, Israel.
Insights
Anaphylaxis in children is often triggered by foods like milk and nuts, or by medications. Improved patient education on using epinephrine auto-injectors is crucial for managing recurrent allergic reactions.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Allergy and Immunology
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- Limited data exists on pediatric anaphylaxis outside North America and Europe.
- Understanding regional variations in anaphylaxis triggers and management is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the characteristics of childhood anaphylaxis in Israel.
- To identify common causes, clinical presentations, and treatment outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 92 pediatric anaphylaxis cases hospitalized over 12 years.
- Data collected on demographics, triggers, co-morbidities, and treatments.
Main Results:
- Foods (43%), medications (22%), and hymenoptera venom (11%) were primary triggers.
- Anaphylaxis occurred mainly at home (56%); 52% had a history of atopy.
- Epinephrine auto-injector use was low among patients with recurrent episodes, highlighting an educational gap.
Conclusions:
- Food allergens are a significant cause of pediatric anaphylaxis in Israel.
- Effective management requires addressing co-morbidities like atopy and improving emergency preparedness, including EpiPen utilization.
Abstract:
Little is known about the courses, causes, and clinical features of anaphylaxis in children outside the USA and Europe. Our objective was to evaluate the events of anaphylaxis in children admitted to the Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, a major tertiary facility, over a 12-year period. Ninety-two children with anaphylaxis (50 boys, 42 girls) aged 14 days to 18 yr (mean, 7.4 yr) were hospitalized during the study period. The event occurred at home in 52 children (56%), in a medical institution in 24 (26%), outdoors in 13 (15%), at school in 2 (2%), and in an unspecified location in 1 (1%). The main causes were foods (43%), mainly milk and nuts, medications (22%), and hymenoptera venom (11%); in five children, anaphylaxis occurred during general anesthesia, and in 5, the causative agent could not be determined. Food-induced anaphylaxis tended to occur in younger children. Forty-eight children (52%) had a history of atopy (mainly asthma). Hospital treatment consisted of corticosteroids (85%), antihistamines (75%), epinephrine (72%), and β2 agonists (42%). Seven patients were admitted to intensive care units. There were no fatalities. EpiPen was used by only one of the 16 patients with more than one episode of anaphylaxis, indicating that patient and parent education in the application of the EpiPen needs to be improved.
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