Age-related differences in characteristics of anaphylaxis in Chinese children from infancy to adolescence

Background: Little is known about anaphylaxis in Chinese children. This study aimed to determine the age-specific patterns of anaphylaxis in Chinese children. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of anaphylaxis cases attending an allergy department in a tertiary children's hospital. Results: A total of 279 anaphylactic reactions in 177 patients were analyzed. Overall, 57.6% (102/177) of first anaphylaxis events occurred in infants (0–2 ys). Foods were the most common culprits (88.5%), followed by food + exercise/exercise (4.7%), and drugs (4.3%). The main food allergens were cow's milk (32.9%), egg (21.4%), and wheat (20.7%) in infants, compared with fruits/vegetables at 35.9% in preschool-age children (3–6 ys) and 31.6% in school-age children (7–12 ys). The most commonly implicated drug triggers were vaccines (n = 5, comprising DTaP n = 2, group A + C meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine n = 1, Sabin vaccine n = 1, and not specified n = 1). Among the 5 vaccine-induced anaphylaxis patients, 4 had severe cow's milk allergy. The clinical manifestations were mainly mucocutaneous (86.0%), followed by respiratory (68.8%), gastrointestinal (23.7%), neurological (10.4%), and cardiovascular (0.7%). Compared with patients of other ages, infants had higher rates of hives (0-2ys 77.4%, 3-6ys 50%,7-12ys 57.9%, 13-17ys 38.9%, p = 0.016) and vomiting (0-2ys 20.7%, 3-6ys 1.6%,7-12ys 8.8%, p