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Objective Acute food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) is characterized by delayed repetitive vomiting after ingestion of a trigger food, and severe reactions may lead to dehydration, hypotension, and shock. We provide recommendations on management of FPIES emergencies in a medical facility and at home. Data Sources This review summarizes the literature on clinical context, pathophysiology, presentation, and treatment of FPIES emergencies. Study Selections We referred to the 2017 International Consensus Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of FPIES and performed a literature search identifying relevant recent primary articles and review articles on clinical management. Results Management of FPIES emergencies in a medical facility is based on severity of symptoms and involves rehydration, ondansetron, and corticosteroids. A proactive approach for reactions occurring at home involves prescribing oral ondansetron and providing an individualized treatment plan based on the evolution of symptoms and severity of past reactions. A better understanding of the pathophysiology of FPIES and randomized trials on ondansedron and cocorticosteroid use could lead to more targeted treatments. Conclusion Children with FPIES are at risk for severe symptoms constituting a medical emergency. Management of FPIES emergencies is largely supportive, with treatment tailored to the symptoms, severity of the patient’s condition, location of reaction, and reaction history.

Background The minimum age to start specific immunotherapy with inhalant allergens in children has not been clearly established, and position papers discourage its use in children younger than 5 years. Objective To assess the safety of high-dose sublingual-swallow immunotherapy (SLIT) in a group of children younger than 5 years. Methods Sixty-five children (51 boys and 14 girls; age range, 38-80 months; mean ± SD age, 60 ± 10 years; median age, 60 months) were included in this observational study. They were treated with SLIT with a build-up phase of 11 days, culminating in a top dose of 300 IR (index of reactivity) and a maintenance phase of 300 IR 3 times a week. The allergens used were house dust mites in 42 patients, grass pollen in 11 patients, olive pollen in 5 patients, Parietaria pollen in 4 patients, and cypress pollen in 3 patients. All adverse reactions and changes in the treatment schedule were compared in 2 subgroups: children 38 to 60 months old and children 61 to 80 months old. Results The average cumulative dose of SLIT was 36,900 IR. Adverse reactions were observed in 11 children, none of them severe enough to require discontinuation of immunotherapy. Six reactions occurred in the 60 months or younger age group and 7 in the older than 60 months age group, with no differences between these 2 groups. Conclusion High-dose immunotherapy in children younger than 5 years does not cause more adverse reactions than in children aged 5 to 7 years. There is no reason to forbear studies on safety and efficacy of these preparations in young children.

Objective To make recommendations based on a critical review of the evidence for the timing of the introduction of solid foods and its possible role in the development of food allergy. Data Sources MEDLINE searches using the following search algorithm: [weaning AND infant AND allergy]/[food allergy AND sensitization]/[dietary prevention AND food allergy OR allergens]/[Jan 1980-Feb 2006]. Study Selection Using the authors' clinical experience and research expertise, 52 studies were retrieved that satisfied the following conditions: English language, journal impact factor above 1 or scientific society, expert, or institutional publication, and appraisable using the World Health Organization categories of evidence. Results Available information suggests that early introduction can increase the risk of food allergy, that avoidance of solids can prevent the development of specific food allergies, that some foods are more allergenic than others, and that some food allergies are more persistent than others. Conclusions Pediatricians and allergists should cautiously individualize the introduction of solids into the infants' diet. With assessed risk of allergy, the optimal age for the introduction of selected supplemental foods should be 6 months, dairy products 12 months, hen's egg 24 months, and peanut, tree nuts, fish, and seafood at least 36 months. For all infants, complementary feeding can be introduced from the sixth month, and egg, peanut, tree nuts, fish, and seafood introduction require caution. Foods should be introduced one at a time in small amounts. Mixed foods containing various food allergens should not be given unless tolerance to every ingredient has been assessed.

Background Allergy-like symptoms are common in young children, but the case history and physical examination cannot identify the underlying origins of overlapping symptom profiles. Objective To evaluate a blood test, Phadiatop Infant (Pharmacia Diagnostics AB, Uppsala, Sweden), for differentiating the capability of IgE-mediated disease in young children with recurrent wheezing, eczema, or both. Methods One hundred forty-seven children (mean age, 2.0 years) were consecutively referred to 2 allergy centers by their primary care physician for recurrent wheezing, eczema, or both. The allergist's clinical evaluation included medical history, physical examination, skin prick testing with inhalant and food allergens, and specific IgE determinations in blood. The accuracy of Phadiatop Infant was evaluated in a masked manner against the allergist's final diagnosis. Results Sixty-nine children had wheezing, 69 had eczema, and 9 had both symptoms. Sixty-one children were clinically diagnosed as having IgE-mediated allergy, 78 as having non–IgE-associated disease, and 8 as having an inconclusive diagnosis. Fifty-six of the 61 children with IgE-mediated allergy had positive Phadiatop Infant test results, and 64 of 78 without the condition had negative results. Sensitivity was 92% and specificity was 82%, with positive and negative predictive values of 80% and 93%, respectively. Thirteen children with a positive Phadiatop Infant test result and a negative final diagnosis were retested after 2 years; 12 of them were diagnosed as having IgE-mediated allergy using a masked evaluation. Conclusions The Phadiatop Infant blood test discriminates between IgE- and non–IgE-mediated symptoms in children younger than 4 years.

Objectives To review the recent literature on the diagnostic accuracy of skin prick tests (SPTs) in pediatric food allergy, focusing on adverse reactions to milk and beef. To present data about the test performance characteristics of beef extracts used in SPTs among children with atopic dermatitis (AD) reporting immediate hypersensitivity to beef. Data Sources MEDLINE search using the following algorithm ["skin prick test" AND "food allergy" OR allergen; 1997-2002; English; all children]. Prospective sensitivity study of SPTs in 34 patients. Study Selection Thirty-four children with AD (median age 2.29 years) were consecutively recruited between 1992 and 2000 because of immediate reactions to beef. On double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenges (entry criterion), 20 of the patients reacted to beef and 14 did not. Cut-off points for skin prick test wheal positivity was selected by receiving-operator characteristic analysis for fresh and commercial beef allergens. Sensitivity and specificity of skin tests and indices of reproducibility were calculated. Results In the literature, the positive predictive accuracies of skin prick tests vary between 69 and 100% and the negative predictive accuracies between 20 to 86% for cow's milk. In our series, SPTs with commercial beef extracts were highly diagnostic (100% sensitivity; 10% false positive rate) and SPTs with fresh beef were highly specific (100%), albeit with a false-positive rate of 21.42%. Conclusions From the literature, we conclude that the diagnostic accuracy of SPTs with milk should be reappraised in the workup of cow's milk allergy. Carrying out commercial and fresh food SPTs at the same time substantially reduces costs and diagnostic work. Oral provocation is necessary in 20.68% of children with AD who have immediate symptoms to beef. Greater allergen standardization and streamlining of the workup of cow's milk allergy are desirable future goals.

Background and objectives Although cromones inhibit immediate bronchial responses to both allergen and nonspecific challenge, their effectiveness in treating nonatopic childhood asthma is unknown. We therefore investigated a possible effect of nedocromil sodium on bronchial hyprreactivity and asthmatic symptoms in a group of children receiving this drug for nonatopic asthma. Study design and methods A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial of two parallel groups was carried out in our pediatric respiratory disease clinic. Twenty children with mild, nonatopic asthma hyperreactive to fog-induced challenge were treated with inhaled nedocromil sodium 16 mg each day for 6 weeks (group N) or with a placebo (group P). Five girls and five boys (7 to 13 years of age) were randomly assigned to group N, and three girls and seven boys (aged 6 to 16 years) to group P. Symptoms and bronchodilator use were reported on diary cards. Ultrasonic nebulized distilled water PD 10 was measured administering increasing doses of nebulized distilled water (2.5, 5, 10, 20, and 40 L). Results Symptom scores were significantly affected by the active treatment. Baseline lung function was normal and remained unaltered after treatment with nedocromil sodium. Nonspecific reactivity was significantly reduced over time only in the active treatment group. Conclusions Nedocromil sodium can reduce the severity of asthmatic symptoms and nonspecific bronchial hyperreactivity at fog-induced challenge in children with stable, nontoxic asthma.