title: Epidemiology of allergic reactions to hymenoptera stings in Irish school children.
abstract: The aim of this was to study generate the first epidemiological data regarding the prevalence of hymenoptera allergy among school children in Ireland. Questionnaires, including six sting-specific questions (1), were distributed to the parents of primary school children aged 6-8 and 11-13, divided equally between rural and urban backgrounds. From 110 schools, 4112 questionnaires were returned. A total of 1544 (37.5%) children had been stung in their lifetime. Among the total, 5.8% of children stung experienced a large local reaction, 3.4% had a mild (cutaneous) systemic reaction (MSR) and 0.8% experienced a moderate/severe systemic reaction (SSR); these figures respectively represent 2.2%, 1.3% and 0.2% of the total study group. On logistic regression analysis, older children and rural children were at a higher risk of being stung (OR 1.7; 95% CI 1.4-2.; OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4-1.8 respectively). Rural dwellers and asthma sufferers were more likely to experience an SSR (OR 4.3; 95% CI 1.4-13.5 and OR 2.8; 95% CI 1.8-4.3, respectively). Hymenoptera stings are more common in rural than urban dwelling Irish children. Asthma imparted a greater risk of SSR in this study population. Severe reactions are unusual overall, occurring in <1% of those stung, a lower prevalence than in Israeli teenagers but in keeping with other European reports relating to young children.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Paediatrics and Child Health Epidemiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Aisling
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jennings
authors.forename: Eileen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Duggan
authors.forename: Ivan J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.forename: Jonathan O'B
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Hourihane
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001180:Arthropod Venoms / Q000009:adverse effects; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006927:Hymenoptera / Q000276:immunology; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D007299:Insect Bites and Stings / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D007494:Ireland; D008297:Male; D011153:Population; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population
chemical_list: D001180:Arthropod Venoms