Akuete K, et al. – Researchers inspected the epidemiology, symptoms, and treatment of clinical low-risk oral food challenges (OFCs) in the nonresearch setting. Data demonstrated that performing clinical nonresearch open low-risk OFCs resulted in few allergic reactions, as the largest national survey of allergic reactions of clinical open OFCs in a nonresearch setting in the United States. Moreover, 86% of challenges resulted in no reactions and 98% without anaphylaxis.

Methods

• They acquired data from 2008 to 2013 through a physician survey in 5 food allergy centers geographically distributed across the United States.
• A linear mixed model was used to identify allergic reaction rates and the association of reaction rates with year, hospital, and demographics.
• By using a random-effects model with exact confidence intervals (Cis), meta-analysis was used to pool the proportion of reactions and anaphylaxis with inverse-variance weights.

Results

• As per findings, 6,377 OFCs were performed.
• In addition, the pooled estimate of anaphylaxis was 2% (95% CI, 1%-3%).
• Demonstrating consistency during the study period (P = .40), the rate of allergic reactions was 14% (95% CI, 13%-16%).
• 13% to 33% was the range of reaction rates.
• As compared to females (95% CI, 4%-37.5%; P = .04), males reacted 16% more frequently.
• In 2013, foods challenged varied geographically.
• Moreover, peanut was the most challenged food in the Northeast, Midwest, and West and egg was the most challenged in the South.