title: [Screening for the risk of allergy and prevention in French maternity units: A survey].
abstract: Allergy has been on the rise for half a century and concerns nearly 30% of children; it has now become a real public health problem. The guidelines on prevention of allergy set up by the French Society of Paediatrics (SFP) and the European Society of Paediatric Allergology and Clinical Immunology (ESPACI) are based on screening children at risk through a systematic search of the family history and recommend, for children at risk, exclusive breastfeeding whenever possible or otherwise utilization of hypoallergenic infant formula, which has demonstrated efficacy. The AllerNaiss practice survey assessed the modes of screening and prevention of allergy in French maternity units in 2012. The SFP guidelines are known by 82% of the maternity units that took part in the survey, and the ESPACI guidelines by 55% of them. A screening strategy is in place in 59% of the participating maternity wards, based on local consensus for 36% of them, 13% of the units having a written screening procedure. Screening is based on the search for a history of allergy in first-degree relatives (99%) during pregnancy (51%), in the delivery room (50%), and after delivery (89%). A mode of prevention of the risk of allergy exists in 62% of the maternity units, most often in writing (49%). A hypoallergenic infant formula is prescribed for non-breastfed children in 90% of the units. The survey shows that there is a real need for formalization of allergy risk screening and prevention of allergy in newborns in French maternity units.
authors.affiliation: Service de gastro-entérologie, hépatologie et nutrition pédiatriques, hôpital couple-enfant, CHU de Grenoble, avenue du Maquis-du-Grésivaudant, 38700 La Tronche, France.
authors.forename: J-P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Chouraqui
authors.affiliation: Service de pédiatrie, CHUV/UNIL, 46, rue du Bugnon, 1011 Lausanne, Suisse.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Simeoni
authors.affiliation: Policlinique l'Atlantique, avenue Claude-Bernard, BP 40419, 44819 Saint-Herblain cedex, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tohier
authors.affiliation: École des sages-femmes de Paris Baudelocque, hôpital Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, 76, avenue Denfert-Rochereau, 75014 Paris, France.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.affiliation: CKConsulting, 6, rue Birkenfels, 67530 Ottrott, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kempf
authors.affiliation: Nestlé France, 77446 Noisiel, France. Electronic address: laurence.beck@fr.nestle.com.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.affiliation: Nestlé France, 77446 Noisiel, France.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lachambre
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005062:European Union / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006306:Health Surveys; D006771:Hospitals, Maternity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015997:Neonatal Screening; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires