Anaphylaxis and Emergency Treatment
From the Elliot and Roslyn Jaffe Food Allergy Institute, Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York
Food anaphylaxis is now the leading known cause of anaphylactic reactions treated in emergency departments in the United States. It is estimated that there are 30 000 anaphylactic reactions to foods treated in emergency departments and 150 to 200 deaths each year. Peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish account for most severe food anaphylactic reactions. Although clearly a form of immunoglobulin E-mediated hypersensitivity, the mechanistic details responsible for symptoms of food-induced anaphylaxis are not completely understood, and in some cases, symptoms are not seen unless the patient exercises within a few hours of the ingestion. At the present time, the mainstays of therapy include educating patients and their caregivers to strictly avoid food allergens, to recognize early symptoms of anaphylaxis, and to self-administer injectable epinephrine. However, clinical trials are now under way for the treatment of patients with peanut anaphylaxis using recombinant humanized anti-immunoglobulin E antibody therapy, and novel immunomodulatory therapies are being tested in animal models of peanut-induced anaphylaxis.
Key Words: anaphylaxis immunoglobulin E anti-IgE antibodies food hypersensitivity elimination diet EpiPen
Abbreviations: IgE, immunoglobulin E
Received for publication Sep 11, 2002; Accepted Oct 30, 2002.
![]()
CiteULike
Connotea
Del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Reddit
Technorati
Twitter What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
N Melville and T Beattie Paediatric allergic reactions in the emergency department: a review Emerg. Med. J., October 1, 2008; 25(10): 655 - 658. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. Luccioli, M. Ross, J. Labiner-Wolfe, and S. B. Fein Maternally Reported Food Allergies and Other Food-Related Health Problems in Infants: Characteristics and Associated Factors Pediatrics, October 1, 2008; 122(Supplement_2): S105 - S112. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. Erlewyn-Lajeunesse, J. Bonhoeffer, J. U Ruggeberg, and P. T Heath Anaphylaxis as an adverse event following immunisation J. Clin. Pathol., July 1, 2007; 60(7): 737 - 739. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. H. Sicherer, F. E. R. Simons, and the Section on Allergy and Immunology Self-injectable Epinephrine for First-Aid Management of Anaphylaxis Pediatrics, March 1, 2007; 119(3): 638 - 646. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
C. L. McIntyre, A. H. Sheetz, C. R. Carroll, and M. C. Young Administration of Epinephrine for Life-Threatening Allergic Reactions in School Settings Pediatrics, November 1, 2005; 116(5): 1134 - 1140. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||







