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With food allergies on the rise, more children are carrying self-injectable epinephrine. A six-year review of emergency department data (Pediatrics, April) suggests that one EpiPen may not be enough.
Researchers at Children's, in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital, reviewed data from 1,255 children who visited the emergency room for food-related allergic reactions. More than half had anaphylaxis, and of those given epinephrine, 12 percent had a resurgence of symptoms requiring a second dose.
"Until we're able to clearly define risk factors for the most severe reactions, it may be safest to have all children at risk for food-related anaphylaxis carry two doses of epinephrine," says first author Susan Rudders, MD, of Children's Division of Allergy and Immunology. She also suggests that school nurses could stock un-assigned extra doses as a cost-saving approach. |
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