LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — A majority of infants who presented to the emergency department (ED) with anaphylaxis appropriately received epinephrine, with symptoms typically resolving after a single treatment dose, research findings indicate.
Given that early administration of epinephrine can be potentially lifesaving for infants with anaphylaxis, the study highlighted the real-world successes in increased uptake of treatment in this vulnerable patient population.
Most infants in the study who presented to the ED and received epinephrine were able to be discharged home after just a few hours, with only 1 out of 10 requiring hospitalization.
The study also reported that most symptoms were in the skin/mucosal, gastrointestinal (GI), respiratory, and cardiovascular (CV) systems, providing improved characterization of anaphylaxis symptoms in the infant population.
Nearly "all episodes were triggered by food, especially egg, peanut, milk, and cashew," commented Colleen Shannon, MD, a pediatrician at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, who presented the research findings here at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting 2022.
Shannon noted that despite previous research demonstrating age-based differences in the presentation of anaphylaxis, the symptomatology of anaphylaxis in infants has not been robustly characterized. Better characterization of anaphylaxis in infants with allergies may help ensure earlier and more accurate diagnosis and management, she said.
