Food-Allergic Reactions in Schools and Preschools

Abstract

It is common for food-allergic children to experience allergic reactions in schools and preschools, with 18% of children having had at least 1 school reaction within the past 2 years. Thirty-six percent of the reactions involved 2 or more organ systems, and 32% involved wheezing. Every effort should be made to prevent, recognize, and appropriately treat food-allergic reactions in schools.

Parents’ knowledge and views of food allergy management in primary schools in Australia

“…Consistent with parental concerns, 16% of allergic reactions occurred on school grounds, mainly in non-routine activities. These findings contrast other studies that have reported classroom as the main site of allergic reactions (Nowak-Wegrzyn et al, 2001; Boros et al, 2001). Further, although the rate of these incidences is low compared with international figures, for example 25% in America (McIntyre, Sheetz, Carroll & Young, 2006) and 47% in Seoul (Kim et al, 2012) they are preventable through vigilance and effective planning.…”

Implementation of an Allergic Reaction Reporting Tool for School Health Personnel: A Pilot Study of Three Chicago Schools

“…In contrast, gastrointestinal symptoms were reported more frequently in our study (30%) compared to the aforementioned study of reactions occurring in the school setting (10%; Nowak-Wegrzyn et al, 2001). This difference may stem from differences in study methodology (parent report up to 2 years later via a telephone survey by Nowak-Wegrzyn, Conover-Walker, and Wood, 2001, vs. documentation by a school nurse after the reaction happens in the present study), patient populations, or geographic location.…”

“…In the present study, peanut, tree nuts, and finfish were among the most common causative allergens, which is consistent with the results of previous studies (DeSantiago-Cardenas et al, 2015; Nowak-Wegrzyn et al, 2001). Skin symptoms were reported in 65% of reactions and respiratory symptoms were reported in 30% of cases, which are similar to a previous study reporting skin and respiratory symptoms in 59% and 32% of reactions, respectively (Nowak-Wegrzyn et al, 2001). In contrast, gastrointestinal symptoms were reported more frequently in our study (30%) compared to the aforementioned study of reactions occurring in the school setting (10%; Nowak-Wegrzyn et al, 2001).…”

“…Skin symptoms were reported in 65% of reactions and respiratory symptoms were reported in 30% of cases, which are similar to a previous study reporting skin and respiratory symptoms in 59% and 32% of reactions, respectively (Nowak-Wegrzyn et al, 2001). In contrast, gastrointestinal symptoms were reported more frequently in our study (30%) compared to the aforementioned study of reactions occurring in the school setting (10%; Nowak-Wegrzyn et al, 2001). This difference may stem from differences in study methodology (parent report up to 2 years later via a telephone survey by Nowak-Wegrzyn, Conover-Walker, and Wood, 2001, vs. documentation by a school nurse after the reaction happens in the present study), patient populations, or geographic location.…”

Prevalence and main characteristics of schoolchildren diagnosed withfood allergies in France

“…The age of appearance in our study population was under 6 years. While the result for the age of appearance of food allergies must be treated with caution because of a possible recall bias, it is in agreement with other reports [6,[17][18][19][20].…”