Infant anaphylaxis and epinephrine use: Can we improve acute management?

BACKGROUND

Anaphylaxis is a serious systemic hypersensitivity reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death.

METHODS

The true prevalence of infant anaphylaxis is unknown, but such cases may be increasing in presentation of these patients to emergency departments, with studies that evaluate health-care utilization after implementation of early introduction guidelines that report an increase in the use of emergency department for food-related visits as well as an increase in epinephrine prescriptions for infants.

RESULTS

Reasons for these increases may include early food introduction as well as therapeutic interventions such as early life or preschool oral immunotherapy.

CONCLUSION

Infant anaphylaxis presents many diagnostic challenges, including poor recognition attributable to confusing signs and symptoms that may be age specific, and risk for inadequate acute management.