Food, drug, insect sting allergy, and anaphylaxisAnaphylaxis in the community: Learning from the survivors
Section snippets
Methods
We collected information from persons who had survived anaphylaxis or been responsible for someone who survived anaphylaxis in the community, by using a survey consisting of multiple-choice questions that was e-mailed to visitors to the Center for Anaphylactic Support (www.epipen.com). This Web site provides information about anaphylaxis and epinephrine and has links to other relevant online resources. Participants could opt out at any time. Their responses were anonymous and could not be
Results
In total, 1885 persons participated in the survey. Of these, 500 (27%) were epinephrine users, meaning they had injected epinephrine into themselves or into someone else for whom they were responsible during the anaphylaxis episode. Of the 1885 participants, 1385 (73%) were nonusers, meaning they had not injected epinephrine either into themselves or into a person for whom they were responsible during the episode.
Of the 500 epinephrine users, 428 (86%) completed their 33-question survey in its
Discussion
Most studies of anaphylaxis in the community focus on persons at risk, many of whom have never experienced an anaphylaxis episode. In contrast, this study focuses on the experiences of more than 1800 self-selected participants who reported that they or someone for whom they were responsible had survived anaphylaxis in a community setting. The study design does not provide a true denominator to assess the potential magnitude of the selection bias19; however, we know that participants had access
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Disclosure of potential conflict of interest: F. E. R. Simons has received research grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and is on advisory boards for Dey, Intelliject, ALK-Abelló, and Sciele. S. Clark has received consulting fees from Dey Pharmaceuticals and Partners Healthcare/Massachusetts General Hospital. C. A. Camargo, Jr has served as a consultant for and received research support from Dey Pharmaceuticals.