Fatalities due to anaphylactic reactions to foods

Fatal anaphylactic reactions to foods are continuing to occur and better ch aracterization might lead to better prevention, The objective of this repor t is to document the ongoing deaths and characterize these fatalities. We a nalyzed 32 fatal cases reported to a national registry, which was establish ed by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, with the ass istance of the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, and far which adequate data could be collected, Data were collected from multiple sources includi ng a structured questionnaire, which was used to determine the cause of dea th and associated factors. The 32 individuals could be divided into 2 group s. Group 1 had sufficient data to identify peanut as the responsible food i n 14 (67%) and tree nuts in 7 (33%) of cases. In group 2 subjects, 6 (55%) of the fatalities were probably due to peanut, 3 (27%) to tree nuts, and th e other 2 cases were probably due to milk and fish (1 [9%] each). The sexes were equally affected; most victims were adolescents or young adults, and all but 1 subject were known to have food allergy before the fatal event In those subjects for whom data were available, all but 1 was known to have a sthma, and most of these individuals did not have epinephrine available at the time of their fatal reaction. Fatalities due to ingestion of allergenic foods in susceptible individuals remain a major health problem In this ser ies, peanuts and tree mts accounted for more than 90% of the fatalities. Im proved education of the profession, allergic individuals, and the public wi ll be necessary to stop these tragedies.