Anaphylaxis prevention

Food allergy is the leading cause of anaphylaxis in children, and in the last decade an increase of about seven times in children between zero and fifteen years has been seen; also it represents the second leading cause of anaphylaxis in adults.

The manifestations of anaphylaxis are several, and not easily recognizable, for this reason cases are underestimated.

In recent years there has been an increase in the incidence of food allergies in children in school age, thus increasing the likelihood, by the school staff, to need to manage students at risk of severe allergic reactions.

It is demonstrated how appropriate recognition and framing of children with food allergy, and the establishment of a protocol with detailed instructions for schools, is able to significantly reduce the incidence emergencies in the school community.

In the Liguria Region there are:

A guideline for school catering and anaphylaxis in schools: guidelines for the distribution of diets and for the administration of life-saving drugs protect those at risk.
Continuous education for doctors and health workers who are part of school health, and dieticians of the school catering service.
Training for teachers and school staff on issues related to food allergy and anaphylaxis, concerning all the different aspects of food allergy, epidemiology, diagnosis, clinical aspects of treatment, with a session dedicated also to the aspects of legal medicine related to the administration of life-saving drugs (Adrenalin) in the community and especially in schools. It is expected the participation of a multidisciplinary team made up of: Allergist, Pediatrician, Psychologist, Dietician.

An Anaphylaxis Observatory at the Operative Unit of Allergy IRCCS San Martino Genova has been activated which is connected to the allergy emergency network and 118 in order to detect cases of anaphylaxis.

For more information:
osservatorio@hsanmartino.it

– Delibera regionale ristorazione scolastica
– Diete speciali e protocollo anafilassi