Characteristics of patients presenting to the emergency department with anaphylaxis in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Objective: To investigate the characteristics of patients presenting to the emergency department with anaphylaxis in Saudi Arabia. Methods: Records of adults and children who presented to the emergency department of a major tertiary health care center in Riyadh from 2009 to 2012 with a diagnosis of "allergy" or "allergic reaction" were reviewed to identify patients with symptoms and signs fulfilling the criteria of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network for anaphylaxis. Results: Out of 1522 records, 62 patients fulfilled the criteria for anaphylaxis. Among them 39 (63%) were adults and 23 (37%) were children (<12 years of age). Overall, the mean age (+/- SD) of patients was 21.6 (+/- 16) years. There were 38 (61%) males. Food was the most common trigger, but details of the triggering agents were poorly recorded and 55% of patients could not identify a specific trigger. Asthma was found to be a risk factor for anaphylaxis. There was a marked under prescription of adrenaline auto-injector on discharge. Only few patients were referred to an allergist. Conclusion: Our patient population with anaphylaxis had similar characteristics to those in the literature. There is an urgent need to educate emergency department physicians about the guidelines of anaphylaxis management and the importance of gathering specific data.