Cost-effective care in anaphylaxis prevention and management

Anaphylaxis is a serious hypersensitivity reaction that may be life-threatening. Data suggest that fatal anaphylaxis is a very rare event; however, anaphylaxis and fear of anaphylaxis are associated with high societal burden and cost. Cost-effectiveness analyses can facilitate a model of value-based care; in this review, we aim to highlight key health-economic analyses in anaphylaxis. Health economic evaluations suggest that screening approaches to prevent anaphylaxis have low value. Prolonged observation of asymptomatic patients with resolved anaphylaxis rarely makes health-economic sense, and the most cost-effective community epinephrine device is the one the patient can access and afford. With an expanding array of safe and effective active treatment options to decrease anaphylaxis risk and burden, management should be individualized, taking into account patient values and preferences.