Eighty percent of teenagers with a food allergy do not carry a life-saving injector

Eighty percent of teenagers (11-20 years of age) with a serious food allergy do not carry an EpiPen, a special injector with adrenaline (or epinephrine), despite their high risk of a severe allergic reaction. According to researchers and paediatric allergists Ewoud Dubois and Jacquelien Saleh-Langenberg of the UMCG, their study of more than 2,600 Dutch school children revealed that treatment is falling seriously short of the mark. They will publish an article on their findings in the scientific journal Pediatric Allergy and Immunology.

A person with a food allergy has a reaction after eating a particular foodstuff, such as peanuts or milk. Allergies to eggs, prawns, nuts and other foodstuffs are also common. The symptoms can vary from a mild reaction (red skin, swelling) to serious, life-threatening reactions, such as anaphylactic shock. During anaphylactic shock, the airways can swell dangerously, the blood pressure can drop and organ failure may occur. In cases like this, the patient must be given adrenaline immediately to stop the reaction. Without treatment, a serious allergic reaction can be fatal.

EpiPen

It is therefore vital that people with serious food allergies carry an EpiPen. However, the research showed that only 20% of the teenagers investigated had an EpiPen with them at all times. ‘Some of them had not been prescribed an EpiPen by their GP’, explains researcher Dubois. ‘Perhaps because the allergic reaction was considered to be mild. Some of the children had never even seen a doctor. Others had an adrenaline injector, but didn’t carry it around with them. A lot of the children (and their parents) thought that their allergic reaction was a one-off occurrence, or they simply weren’t aware of the severity of their allergy or the dangers of an allergic reaction. Even secondary school pupils, the group in which 20% of all food-based allergic reactions occur, are ill prepared for such a situation.’

Unpredictable

The severity of an allergic reaction is highly unpredictable. Some three-quarters of people who experience a serious allergic reaction have only ever had mild reactions in the past. Some 3% of all Dutch teenagers have a food allergy that warrants carrying an injector with adrenaline. ‘Every year, hundreds of children are admitted to Dutch hospitals with a serious allergic reaction. It is estimated that one in every million Dutch people dies from an allergic reaction to food every year. That’s sixteen deaths per year, which could have been prevented by swift treatment.’

Diagnosis and treatment

‘Until fairly recently, a lot of people thought that a food allergy was “all in the mind”. There was no good research on the subject, so diagnosis was difficult and there were very few treatment options. It is only since this century that tests have been able to prove whether someone really does have a food allergy, or not as the case may be’, says Dubois. ‘The latter is important too. Some 50% of the people who suspect they have a food allergy do not actually have one. The treatment is also straightforward: there is no cure for the allergy itself (yet), but a nutritionist can tell you what you can and can’t eat and a doctor can prescribe an EpiPen.’

The research carried out by Saleh-Langenberg, Dubois and fellow researchers was a repeat of previous research dating from 2009. Although other studies reveal a rise in the incidence of food allergies, the number of teenagers with a food allergy in this research was comparable with the number 6 years earlier.

Source: news release UMCG