Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Nov;31(8):954-961.
doi: 10.1111/pai.13320. Epub 2020 Aug 6.

Food-induced anaphylaxis in infants, as compared to toddlers and preschool children in Turkey

Melike Kahveci  1 , Ayşegül Akarsu  1 , Gizem Koken  2 , Umit M Sahiner  1 , Ozge Soyer  1 , Bulent E Sekerel  1
Affiliations

Food-induced anaphylaxis in infants, as compared to toddlers and preschool children in Turkey

Melike Kahveci et al. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2020 Nov.

Abstract

Background: The literature includes scarce data on infants with food-induced anaphylaxis (FIA).

Materials and methods: Medical records of the patients diagnosed with FIA aged 0-6 years between 2015 and 2020 were retrospectively analyzed.

Results: During the study period, there were 451 instances of FIA in 314 patients, of which 175 (38.8%) occurred in 160 infants (50.9%). The median (IQR) age of infants was 7 months (6-9 months) with a male predominance (67.5%), of which 7.5% had multiple instances (≥2) and 60% atopic dermatitis. The most common triggers were cow's milk (51.4%), tree nuts (16.6%), and hen's egg (15.4%), whereas tree nut was the most common trigger in toddlers (35.8%) and preschool children (35.2%). Skin and neurologic symptoms, and nausea-vomiting occurred more frequently (P = .003, P ≤ .001, and P = .003, respectively), whereas respiratory symptoms occurred less commonly in infants compared to toddlers and preschool children (P ≤ .001). In infants, 65 (37.1%) mild, 92 (52.6 %) moderate, and 18 (10.3%) severe episodes of anaphylaxis were detected. History of recurrent wheezing (OR: 6.837 [95% CI: 1.940-24.097], P = .003) and tree nut allergy (OR: 2.849 [95% CI: 1.056-7.688], P = .039) were found to be independent risk factors for moderate-to-severe anaphylactic reactions. 40.6% of the infants received adrenaline, which was lower than the toddlers (49.7%) and preschool children (57.6%) (P = .005).

Conclusion: There is no doubt that food-induced anaphylaxis is a medical emergency, specifically in young children. Pediatricians should be aware of the distinct features of infant anaphylaxis, particularly gastrointestinal and neurologic symptoms to provide effective treatment as soon as possible.

Keywords: Epinephrine; food-induced anaphylaxis; infants; preschool children; toddlers.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Rudders SA, Arias SA, Camargo CA Jr. Trends in hospitalizations for food-induced anaphylaxis in US children, 2000-2009. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2014;134(4):960-962.e963.
    1. Vetander M, Helander D, Flodstrom C et al. Anaphylaxis and reactions to foods in children-a population-based case study of emergency department visits. Clin Exp Allergy. 2012;42(4):568-577.
    1. Jacobs TS, Greenhawt MJ, Hauswirth D, Mitchell L, Green TD. A survey study of index food-related allergic reactions and anaphylaxis management. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2012;23(6):582-589.
    1. Lieberman P, Camargo CA Jr, Bohlke K et al. Epidemiology of anaphylaxis: Findings of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Epidemiology of Anaphylaxis Working Group. Ann Allergy, Asthma Immunol. 2006;97(5):596-602.
    1. Simons FE, Ardusso LR, Bilo MB et al. International consensus on (ICON) anaphylaxis. World Allergy Org J. 2014;7(1):9.

LinkOut - more resources