It is concerning that 15% of mothers overall could not 'fire' these devices correctly despite a one-to-one demonstration, identifying a need for more user friendly devices and training. Mothers found the Anapen(®) device significantly easier to use, which may have implications for future prescribing. Evaluation of the next generation of autoinjectors and their training packages needs to be performed as important practical differences may be found.
Children with peanut allergy are almost always advised to avoid nuts for life. There have been recent reports from academic centres that in some cases the allergy might resolve and thus these dietary restrictions can be lifted. To evaluate resolution of peanut allergy in a selected group of children in a general paediatric setting. Children 4-16 yr old with a clear history of an allergic reaction to peanuts who had not had any reaction in the previous 2 yr were eligible. Specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) or skin prick test (SPT) at the time of diagnosis was sought. A SPT and specific IgE was then done and if this was
Introduction
Of paediatric admissions to hospital, up to 1.8% are a consequence of Adverse Drug Reactions (ADR); a proportion are allergic reactions. Misdiagnosis of drug allergy is important not only for the patient, but also because unevaluated reactions can lead to less effective and more expensive drugs being prescribed.
Aim
To describe the suspected causative drugs, clinical features, investigations, diagnosis and advice given to patients presenting to the Paediatric Adverse Drug Event Clinic.
Methods
A retrospective clinic note review was undertaken of all patients presenting to the Adverse Drug Event Clinic with a suspected drug allergy between 2005 and 2010. Children were identified though the electronic letter copies of one consultant.
Results
Table 1: 66 children (mean age 9.7 years) attended. The suspected drugs were: Antimicrobials (26), Local anaesthetics (17),General anaesthetics (16), Other (7). Rash (31), swelling (28) and urticaria (13) were the most common clinical presentations (table 1).
Abstract G47(P) Table 1Investigations
Investigation
Number of cases
Number of negative results
Skin prick testing
60
49
Specific serum IgE
10
10
Intradermal testing
6
5
Direct provocation test
5
5
Table 2: A diagnosis of drug allergy was given in 14 children (21%); all were advised to avoid the drug.
Abstract G47(P) Table 2Advice
Advice
Total
Reassurance
38
Avoid
14
Pragmatically avoid
11
Other
3
Conclusions
Medication and Anaesthetic charts are vital in the assessment of potential drug allergy. Investigation to multiple drugs is generally possible in one clinic visit. Around a quarter had a “confirmed” drug allergy. A Drug Challenge (Direct provocation test) was infrequently required to manage the children. These results are in concordance with the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology guidelines, which recommends a drug challenge should only be considered after other investigations have been exhausted and the diagnosis is still unclear.
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