Food-Induced Allergic Reactions Needing ED Visit on the Rise in Infants

While early allergen introduction may reduce long-term allergy risk, it is tied to an increase in emergency department (ED) visits for food reactions in infancy, according to a study published in the March issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: Global.

Aaron Chin, M.D., from the University of California, Los Angeles, and colleagues examined trends in ED encounters for food-induced reactions (FIRs), including food-induced anaphylaxis (FIA), among children aged 0 to 5 years between 2013 and 2024. The analysis included 67,059 ED visits.

The researchers identified 350 FIRs and 182 FIA visits and found that FIR and FIA annual rates increased significantly over time in infants aged 0 to 1 year (odds ratios, 1.15 and 1.27, respectively). Neither FIR nor FIA rates increased over time among children aged 2 to 5 years. Neither age group showed a change in refractory anaphylactic reactions. Compared with the preguideline years (2013 to 2016), infants in the postguideline period had more than twice the odds of an FIR (odds ratio, 2.21; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.37 to 3.55). There was no change in FIRs between the two time periods among the 2- to 5-year age group (odds ratio, 0.82; 95 percent CI, 0.55 to 1.2).