Newly developed modified anaphylaxis clinical criteria can improve identification of anaphylaxis among young children, according to a study published online May 20 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinic Immunology: In Practice.
Anna Handorf, M.D., from Mass General for Children in Boston, and colleagues examined age-specific signs and symptoms that more accurately identify anaphylaxis in young children in order to develop modified criteria for “likely anaphylaxis” to compare against the widely used 2006 National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (NIAID/FAAN) criteria. A total of 337 clinical encounters presenting to a pediatric emergency department with suspected allergic or anaphylactic reactions were reviewed. The study population comprised 33 percent infants (<12 months), 39 percent toddlers (age 12 to <36 months), and 29 percent children (≥36 months).
The researchers found that the modified criteria captured 98 percent of all patient encounters in the study, compared with 85 percent for the NIAID/FAAN criteria. Modified criteria had 22.8 and 10.3 percent improved performance among infants and toddlers, respectively, compared with NIAID/FAAN criteria.
“Utilization of modified criteria enhances identification of anaphylaxis in infants, and potentially toddlers,” the authors write. “Our findings also support the need for improved training of health care professionals to recognize and manage anaphylaxis in infants and young children.”
Two authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
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