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JACI Highlights - March 2007
Pumphrey et al - Further fatal allergic reactions to food in the UK, 1999-2006
In the April 2007 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Pumphrey and colleagues report on their study of 48 recent food-related anaphylactic deaths in the United Kingdom. They examined factors relating to the deaths, such as age, food that induced the allergy, types of reactions that occurred and circumstances of the death; poor health (particularly worsening of asthma) was commonly noted leading up to the fatal reaction. They found that in those who had been provided with epinephrine auto-injector pens, certain factors such as incorrect use of the epipen and failure to carry the epipen with them contributed to their deaths; some died despite apparently correct use of their epipens. The authors hypothesized that over half of the patients who died had had no professional advice about their food allergy; a few may have been advised badly. If confirmed, this suggests that improved education of food allergic patients, their caregivers, doctors, and the food industry might help prevent deaths. After adoption of a properly informed allergen avoidance strategy and optimal daily asthma management, patient alertness to additional risk factors such as illness, foreign travel and festive eating may be the most important component of managing food allergy.
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