The rate of hospital admissions in the UK due to severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) caused by food has tripled over a 20-year period. Nevertheless, the death rate from food-induced anaphylaxis was halved over the same period, according to a recent study.
The novel research was published today in BMJ magazine.
Food allergy is the most common cause of potentially life-threatening allergic reactions, known as anaphylaxis. A large increase in hospital admissions due to food anaphylaxis has been reported worldwide, but it is unclear whether this trend continues, and if so, whether this has led to an increase in relapse. deadly ideas.
To further explore this, researchers from Imperial College London’s National Heart and Lung Institute described time shifts for hospital admissions due to food anaphylaxis in the UK over the past 20 years.
They examined data between 1998 and 2018, measuring time movements, age, and sexual distributions for anaphylaxis inductions due to food and non-food stimuli, and then compared these with reported deaths.
Between 1998 and 2018, 101,891 people were admitted to the hospital for anaphylaxis. Of these entries, 30,700 (30%) were coded as a result of food stimulation.
Food anaphylaxis admissions increased from 1.23 to 4.04 per 100,000 population annually (from 1998 to 2018), an annual increase of 5.7%.
The largest increase in hospital admissions was seen in children under 15, with an increase from 2.1 to 9.2 admissions per 100,000 population per year (an annual increase of 6.6%, compared to 5.9% in people aged 15-59 years and 2.1% in those aged 60 years and older).
Over the 20 years, 152 deaths have been identified where the fatal event was caused by food-induced anaphylaxis.
The rate of case mortality (number of deaths as a proportion of hospital admissions) decreased from 0.7% to 0.19% for confirmed lethal food anaphylaxis and to 0.3% for suspected lethal food anaphylaxis.
At least 86 (46%) of the deaths between 1992–2018 were induced by peanuts or walnuts, and cow’s milk was responsible for 17 (26%) deaths in school-age children.
The data also showed that orders for adrenaline autoinjectors increased by 336% over the same period – an increase of 11% per year.
The researchers say improvements in the diagnosis and management of anaphylaxis may partially explain the decline in case mortality despite an increase in hospital admissions for anaphylaxis.
There is no evidence to suggest that the clinical criteria used to detect anaphylaxis have changed in the UK over the study period, they add. Although the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) introduced national guidance in 2011, which may have led to an increase in hospitals, the year-on-year increase has been since then.
The authors acknowledge that there are some study limitations, such as the ability to incorrectly code or errone some cases of anaphylaxis, and the inability to diagnose cases of anaphylaxis seen in emergency departments that did not require into the hospital.
Nevertheless, they used a national dataset in the context of the UK health system, which provided the opportunity to draw strong conclusions compared to other countries.
Thus, the researchers conclude: “Cow’s milk is increasingly identified as the culprit allergen for lethal food reactions, and is now the most common cause of fatal anaphylaxis in children. More education is needed to address the specific dangers of cow’s milk to people with allergies to raise awareness among food businesses. “
They add: “Further work is needed to assess the evidence for age-related vulnerability to severe anaphylaxis in young adults, thus improving our ability to reduce risk of dementia. patients with food allergies and to reduce the risk of fatal outcomes. ”
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This story was published from a wire group group with no text changes. Only the headline has changed.