Anaphylaxis in school settings

Most allergic reactions in childhood are mild and relatively simple to manage but more severe reactions do occur. Anaphylaxis, a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction, has become an increasingly common occurrence in the UK and a significant proportion of such reactions in children occur in the school environment.

The key issues in the successful management of anaphylaxis are early recognition and prompt treatment with intramuscular adrenaline¹. Each accidental reaction should also be used as a catalyst to better understand the changes that could be implemented to make a recurrence less likely.

This article uses two typical case studies to explore the issues around the management of anaphylaxis in school settings.