• Megan S Motosue, Bellolio M Fernanda MF Department of Emergency Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., Holly K Van Houten, Nilay D Shah, Venkatesh R Bellamkonda, David M Nestler, and Ronna L Campbell.
• Division of Allergic Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
• J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2017 Sep 1; 5 (5): 1272-1279.e1.

BackgroundAnaphylaxis is a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction; measures including prescription of an epinephrine autoinjector (EAI) and allergy/immunology (A/I) follow-up may prevent future morbidity.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to evaluate trends in outpatient management of anaphylaxis by studying EAI dispensing and A/I follow-up among patients seen in the emergency department (ED) for anaphylaxis from 2005 through 2014.MethodsWe analyzed administrative claims data from the OptumLabs Data Warehouse database using an expanded International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis code algorithm.ResultsThe study cohort comprised 18,279 patients with a mean age of 39 years; 58% were female, and 86% were discharged from an ED. Within 1 year after discharge, 46% had filled an EAI prescription and 29% had A/I follow-up. Overall, from 2005 to 2014, annual rates of filled EAI prescriptions and A/I follow-up did not change. Among children (aged <18 years), rates increased for filled EAI prescriptions (16.1% increase; P = .02 for trend) and A/I follow-up (18.8% increase; P = .048 for trend). Rates decreased for A/I follow-up among adults (15.4% decrease; P = .002 for trend). Overall rates of filled EAI prescriptions were highest in those with venom-induced (73.9 per 100 ED visits) and food-induced anaphylaxis (69.4 per 100 ED visits); the lowest rates were among those with medication-related anaphylaxis (18.2 per 100 ED visits).ConclusionsOver the past decade, rates of EAI dispensing and A/I follow-up after an ED visit for anaphylaxis have remained low, suggesting that patients may not be prepared to manage future episodes.Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

34 keywords...

hide…