Teens have higher anaphylaxis risk than younger kids
Food allergy spurred the majority of these anaphylactic events
By Nathan Seppa
HOUSTON — Although adolescents are better at taking care of themselves than young children, high school kids are more apt to experience an extreme allergic reaction. Data from 6,001 U.S. schools show that 724 of their students required treatment with an epinephrine injection during the 2013–14 school year. Nearly half of those kids were in high school, researchers reported February 23 at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology annual meeting.
Food allergy caused the majority of these anaphylactic events, potentially fatal allergic reactions that require immediate treatment. Among students overall, insect bites or stings were the second most common ascertained cause. But the cause of many anaphylaxis episodes was a mystery, said Susan Hogue of RTI Health Solutions of Research Triangle Park, N.C., who presented the findings.