Table 1. Characteristics of children hospitalized with anaphylaxis.
| Characteristics | Age <36 months N (%) n = 211 |
Age ≥ 36 months N (%) n = 454 |
|---|---|---|
| Patient demographics | ||
| Male | 146 (69.2) | 231 (50.9) |
| Race | ||
| White | 87 (43.1) | 194 (45.8) |
| Black | 37 (18.3) | 101 (23.8) |
| Other | 78 (38.6) | 129 (30.4) |
| Ethnicity | ||
| Hispanic | 47 (25.4) | 73 (18.4) |
| Language | ||
| English | 182 (91.5) | 388 (88.6) |
| Past medical history | ||
| Asthma | 44 (20.9) | 223 (49.1) |
| Anaphylaxis | 37 (17.5) | 148 (32.6) |
| Reaction trigger | ||
| Food | 130 (61.6) | 259 (57.0) |
| Medication | 6 (2.8) | 36 (7.9) |
| Venom | 1 (0.5) | 7 (1.5) |
| Other | 1 (0.5) | 6 (1.3) |
| Unknown | 73 (34.6) | 146 (32.2) |
| Clinical manifestations of anaphylaxis a | ||
| Respiratory | 171 (81.0) | 402 (88.5) |
| Cardiac | 18 (18.5) | 68 (15.0) |
| Gastrointestinal | 116 (55.0) | 232 (51.1) |
| Dermatologic or mucosal | 208 (98.6) | 426 (93.8) |
| Prehospital therapies | ||
| IM epinephrine doses | ||
| None | 116 (55.0) | 210 (46.3) |
| 1 | 75 (35.5) | 183 (40.3) |
| 2 or more | 20 (9.5) | 61 (13.4) |
| Beta agonist | 27 (12.8) | 86 (18.9) |
| IV Fluid bolus | 9 (4.3) | 28 (6.2) |
| Transport from another facility | 29 (14.0) | 77 (17.3) |
| Prehospital and ED vitals | ||
| Hypoxia b | 4 (1.9) | 13 (2.9) |
| Hypotension c | 3 (1.5) | 6 (1.3) |
| Wide pulse pressure d | 25 (12.3) | 67 (14.9) |
a Categories are not mutually exclusive
b Hypoxia defined as O2 saturation ≤92% [32]
c Defined according to Pediatric Advanced Life Support guidelines: systolic blood pressure <70 mmHg for 1 to 12 months of age, <70 mmHG + (age in years x 2) for 1 to 10 years, and <90 mmHg for older than 10 years [37]
d Defined as a diastolic blood pressure lower than or equal to half the systolic blood pressure [37]