Food allergy reactions in kids often triggered by nuts

In the largest study of childhood anaphylaxis reported, a 5-year retrospective review of allergic reactions in children shows that most reactions occur at home, most are triggered by peanuts or cashews, and administration of medical treatment is often delayed.

Reported in the August issue of the journal Allergy, the review comprises case notes on 123 anaphylactic reactions in 117 children presenting at the Emergency Department of the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne.

The median age of the children was 2.4 years. Only 17 percent of the children had previously experienced an allergic reaction. There was 1 death, in a 7-year old girl with a known peanut allergy who ate a peanut satay sauce. Most events (48 percent) took place at home, and almost all initially involved breathing and skin symptoms. Gastrointestinal and cardiovascular effects were also common.

The median time from exposure to the offending agent to allergic reaction was 10 minutes, and the median time until treatment was 40 minutes.

Food was the most common trigger (85 percent), with peanuts (18 percent) and cashew nuts (13 percent) the most common cause. Six percent of allergic reactions were caused by drugs and 3 percent by insect stings.

The researchers say their findings are similar to those of a study conducted in the 1990s in England, suggesting that triggers for anaphylaxis in children have not changed significantly over the last decade.

Reference: de Silva et al. 2008 Paediatric anaphylaxis: a 5 year retrospective review. Allergy. Vol 63 pp 1071–1076.In the largest study of childhood anaphylaxis reported, a 5-year retrospective review of allergic reactions in children shows that most reactions occur at home, most are triggered by peanuts or cashews, and administration of medical treatment is often delayed.