Pediatrician perspectives on symptom presentation and treatment of acute allergic reactions

Anaphylaxis remains difficult to diagnose and epinephrine underused.

To better understand the thoughts of pediatricians regarding when acute allergic reactions constitute anaphylaxis and when epinephrine should be given by conducting an anonymous online survey.

The survey consisted of 8 case-based scenarios of allergic reactions with the following 2 questions on each case: (1) does this case represent anaphylaxis? and (2) if this patient immediately presented to you, would you treat the patient with epinephrine during the reaction?

A total of 1001 responses were analyzed. When assessing all cases combined, there was discordance in whether a case represented anaphylaxis and administration of epinephrine was warranted in 8% of the cases. An average of 5% of all the respondents suggested that the case represented anaphylaxis but would not warrant epinephrine, whereas an average of 3% suggested that the case did not represent anaphylaxis but that epinephrine was warranted.

The results of this survey reveal that there is discordance among pediatricians on when an allergic reaction is considered anaphylaxis and when epinephrine is warranted. These data highlight the need for continued improvement of the definition of anaphylaxis and continued need for education regarding the diagnosis and management of anaphylaxis.