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
. 2022 Aug;58(8):1407-1413.
doi: 10.1111/jpc.16006. Epub 2022 May 4.

Emergency department childhood anaphylaxis presentations in regional/remote Australia

Heinrich C Weber  1 , Gaylene L Bassett  1 , Laura K Hollingsworth  2 , Vincent Ws Gan  2 , Samantha Rose  2 , Jacqueline Lim  1 , Sarah J Prior  3
Affiliations

Emergency department childhood anaphylaxis presentations in regional/remote Australia

Heinrich C Weber et al. J Paediatr Child Health. 2022 Aug.

Abstract

Aim: Explore the prevalence of childhood anaphylaxis and clinical presentation of anaphylaxis in children across two regional emergency departments over a 7-year period.

Methods: Retrospective audit of all children (0-18 years) presenting to emergency from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2016 with anaphylaxis, defined by Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy definitions and doctor diagnosis.

Results: Seven hundred and twenty-four patients were identified with allergic diagnosis, 60% were diagnosed with non-anaphylaxis allergic reactions or unspecified urticaria and 40% with anaphylaxis (n = 286). Annual prevalence of anaphylaxis remained stable over the study period (M = 30.9/10 000 cases, range: 20.8-48.3/10 000). Gender distribution was equal, median age was 9.48 years (interquartile range = 4-15). Most (71%) arrived by private transport. 23% had a prior history of anaphylaxis. Food triggers (44%) were the most common cause of anaphylaxis. Insect bites/stings triggers occurred in 21%. Patients were promptly assessed (average wait time = 13 min), 16% received prior adrenaline injections. Adrenaline was administered in 26% and 20% were admitted to hospital. On discharge, 29% had a follow-up plan, 9% received an allergy clinic referral, 6% anaphylaxis action plan, 26% adrenaline autoinjector prescriptions and allergy testing performed in 6%.

Conclusions: We found a relatively low prevalence of overall childhood anaphylaxis in a regional area. The two most common causes of anaphylaxis in this population (food and bites/stings) recorded increased prevalence providing an opportunity for further study. Significant gaps in evidence-based care of anaphylaxis were noted, demonstrating the need for improved recognition and treatment guideline implementation in regional areas.

Keywords: anaphylaxis; paediatric; regional/rural.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Causes of anaphylaxis by age categories. (formula image) food, (formula image) insect, (formula image) drug, (formula image) other, (formula image) unidentified.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Changes in proportion of food allergy presentations.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Turner PJ, Campbell DE. Epidemiology of severe anaphylaxis: can we use population‐based data to understand anaphylaxis? Curr. Opin. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 2016; 16: 441–50. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Turner PJ, Gowland MH, Sharma V et al. Increase in anaphylaxis‐related hospitalizations but no increase in fatalities: an analysis of United Kingdom national anaphylaxis data, 1992‐2012. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 2015; 135: 956–63. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Liew WK, Williamson E, Tang ML. Anaphylaxis fatalities and admissions in Australia. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 2009; 123: 434–42. - PubMed
    1. Mullins RJ, Dear KB, Tang ML. Time trends in Australian hospital anaphylaxis admissions in 1998‐1999 to 2011‐2012. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 2015; 136: 367–75. - PubMed
    1. O'Loughlin R, Hiscock H. Presentations to emergency departments by children and young people with food allergy are increasing. Med. J. Aust. 2020; 213: 27–9. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources