title: Anaphylaxis in pediatric population: A 1-year survey on the Medical Emergency Service in Liguria, Italy.
abstract: Anaphylaxis is a severe, life-threatening, generalized, or systemic hypersensitivity reaction. The diagnosis is mainly based on a clinical ground. This study aimed to evaluate the records of both phone calls and medical visits for anaphylaxis managed by the Liguria Medical Emergency Service (MES) in a pediatric population, occurred during 2013. The phone call is managed at each center and classified according to a level of care intensity and a presumed level of criticality, according to established criteria. Criticality is then re-evaluated (detected criticality) at the end of the medical visit following the same score adding the black code for patients who died. Most of the phone calls (86) to the MES were recorded in summer (40.7%), followed by spring (26.7%), autumn (16.3%), and winter (16.3%). Forty-eight patients (55.8%) were male. Anaphylaxis was confirmed in about half of patients. In addition, almost all subjects (97.7%) were referred to the Emergency Room. In conclusion, the present study shows that anaphylaxis represents a serious and relevant medical problem in the pediatric population and should be ever carefully managed.
authors.affiliation: Emergency Department, IRCCS-Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria San Martino, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ruffoni
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barberi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bernardo
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ferrara
authors.affiliation: Emergency Department, IRCCS-Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria San Martino, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Furgani
authors.affiliation: Pulmonary Disease and Allergy Unit, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Angela
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Tosca
authors.affiliation: Health Sciences Dpt, Genova University, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Schiavetti
authors.affiliation: Medicine Department, IRCCS-Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria San Martino, Genova, Italy gio.cip@libero.it.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ciprandi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000707:Anaphylaxis / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male
keywords: anaphylaxis; calls; children; medical emergency service