New Findings On Childhood Anaphylaxis

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 20 Mar 2005 - 9:00 PST

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New research on the risks of biphasic reactions in children with anaphylaxis was presented today at the 2005 AAAAI Annual Meeting in San Antonio.

A biphasic anaphylaxis reaction is one in which the immediate anaphylaxis symptoms are followed by a sluggish period of two to four hours, only to be followed by a recurrence of the symptoms, sometimes more severe than the initial symptoms and signs.

S.S Mehr, MD, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues conducted a retrospective case note study of children who presented an anaphylatic reaction in the emergency department at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, over a five-year period.

Researchers discovered that 11% of the children in the study had a biphasic reaction. Of these, 5% were anaphylactic and 6% were generalized allergic. The study showed that children who developed biphasic reactions required greater number of adrenaline doses and had fluid boluses more frequently for treatment of the initial anaphylaxis, compared to children with unphysical reactions.

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