Abstract

AMARAL, Rita et al. Anaphylaxis in Portugal: First registries of the Portuguese Catalog of Allergies and Other Adverse Reactions. Rev Port Imunoalergologia [online]. 2014, vol.22, n.1, pp.23-32. ISSN 0871-9721.

Introduction: Anaphylaxis is usually under-diagnosed and under-reported involving the safety of the patient in health care. The Portuguese Catalog of Allergies and other Adverse Reactions (CPARA) was developed to track and share information from these reactions, across the Portuguese health system. Aim: To characterize clinical and demographically all cases of anaphylaxis reactions, inserted in CPARA, during the first 10 months of its implementation. Methods: We analyzed all records (n = 20389) inserted in CPARA from July 2012 to May 2013, selecting all records reported as “Anaphylaxis.” We analyzed separately the groups of pediatric (< 18 years) and adult (≥ 18 years) patients. Results: There were 1209 reported cases of anaphylaxis related to 1045 users, with a mean ratio of 11.2 records per 100000 inhabitants, in each Portuguese continental region. The mean age (± standard deviation) was 51.8 (±20.2) years and 71% were female. The major allergen in anaphylaxis reactions were drugs (83%), food (7%) and insect venom (3%). In 77 patients (7%) with age <18 years, the main cause of anaphylaxis reaction was food (43%; p<0.001), most of them due to “milk and dairy products” (24%). In adults, it was mostly induced by drugs (87%, p<0.001), particularly with beta‑lactam antibiotics (46%). Within each age group, the most frequent allergens were significantly different between sexes. Conclusions: CPARA is an essential tool of great potential in monitoring and understanding the reactions of anaphylaxis in Portugal. The most common allergens in anaphylaxis reactions differ depending on the age group and sex as previously described in other types of studies.

Keywords : Adverse reaction report; allergens; anaphylaxis; drug allergy.

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