A retrospective analysis finds no evidence of benefit.
Emergency department (ED) patients with allergic reactions ranging from benign urticaria to anaphylaxis are commonly treated with glucocorticoids. However, experimental evidence supporting this practice is lacking.
To determine whether steroids reduce relapse in allergy patients after discharge from the emergency department (ED), investigators retrospectively studied all visits for allergic reaction to two urban EDs in Canada during a 5-year period. During that time, 2701 eligible patient encounters occurred (including 473 for anaphylaxis). Half of all encounters involved treatment with steroids.
The rate of repeat allergy-related visits within 7 days of ED discharge (the primary outcome) was similar for patients treated or not treated with s…
Reviewing Author
DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education
Grant/Research SupportAgency for Healthcare Research and Quality; CDC; NIH–National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; NIH–National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); NIH–NIAID–Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group; Merck; Pfizer; Boehringer-Ingelheim; Shire; Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Novartis; bioMérieux; Siemens; Rapid Pathogen Screening; Magnolia; Stago; Innovative Biosensors; Molecular Detection, Inc.; Dyax Corp.; Trius Pharmaceuticals
DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education
Grant/Research SupportAgency for Healthcare Research and Quality; CDC; NIH–National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; NIH–National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); NIH–NIAID–Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group; Merck; Pfizer; Boehringer-Ingelheim; Shire; Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Novartis; bioMérieux; Siemens; Rapid Pathogen Screening; Magnolia; Stago; Innovative Biosensors; Molecular Detection, Inc.; Dyax Corp.; Trius Pharmaceuticals