Cause and Clinical Presentation of Anaphylaxis in Singapore: From Infancy to Old Age

Background: The study objective was to compare age-related differences in the cause and clinical presentation of anaphylaxis. Methods: We conducted a prospective study of patients visiting the emergency department for anaphylaxis. Data were collected from 3 emergency departments from 1 April 2014 to 31 December 2015. Patient electronic records with the diagnoses of allergy, angioedema, urticaria, and anaphylaxis (ICD-9 codes 9953, 9951, 7080, 9950, 7089) were screened and cases fulfilling World Allergy Organisation criteria for anaphylaxis were included. Results: A total of 426 cases of anaphylaxis were identified with a median age of 23 years (range 3 months to 88 years and 9 months). The causes of anaphylaxis were food (n = 236, 55%), drugs (n = 85, 20%), idiopathic (n = 64, 15%), and insect bites or stings (n = 28, 7%). The most common food was shellfish (n = 58, 14%) and the most common drugs were non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (n = 26, 6%). There were more cases of food anaphylaxis in children than in adults (72 vs. 42%, p p Conclusions: Knowledge of age-related variation in the cause and clinical presentation of anaphylaxis aids in diagnosis and acute management.
Int Arch Allergy Immunol

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