First Real-World Safety Analysis of Preschool Peanut Oral Immunotherapy.

BACKGROUND: In 2017, a clinical trial of 37 subjects demonstrated that preschool peanut oral immunotherapy (P-OIT) was safe, with predominantly mild symptoms reported and only 1 moderate reaction requiring epinephrine. OBJECTIVES: We sought to examine whether these findings would be applicable in a real-world setting. METHODS: As part of a Canada-wide quality improvement project, community and academic allergists administered P-OIT to preschool-age children who had (1) skin prick test wheal diameter greater than or equal to 3 mm or specific IgE level greater than or equal to 0.35 kU/L and history of reaction and/or positive baseline oral food challenge, or (2) no ingestion history and specific IgE level greater than or equal to 5 kU/L. Over 16 to 22 weeks, patients had biweekly clinic visits for updosing, and consumed the dose daily at home between visits. Target maintenance dose was 300 mg peanut protein. Symptoms were classified using a modified World Allergy Organization Subcutaneous Immunotherapy Reaction Grading System (1 mildest, 5 fatal). RESULTS: Of 270 patients who started P-OIT in the period 2017 to 2018, 243 reached maintenance, and 27 dropped out (10.0%); 67.8% of patients experienced reactions during buildup: 36.3% grade 1, 31.1% grade 2, and 0.40% grade 4. Eleven patients (4.10%) received epinephrine (10 patients received 1 dose, 1 patient received epinephrine on 2 separate days), representing 2.23% of reactions (12 of 538) and 0.029% of doses (12 of 41,020). CONCLUSIONS: We are the first group to describe preschool P-OIT in a real-world multicenter setting. The treatment appears to be safe for the vast majority of patients because symptoms were generally mild and very few reactions received epinephrine; however, life-threatening reactions in a minority of patients (0.4%) can still occur.

The role of histopathology in diagnosing protracted diarrhea of infancy.

Protracted diarrhea is used to describe infants with loose and frequent stools of sufficient severity to require nutritional support, most commonly parenteral nutrition. Despite similar clinical presentations, the causes of protracted diarrhea in infants are varied and diverse in management and prognosis. The following cases represent the two more common causes of protracted diarrhea in young infants in the developed world - allergic and autoimmune enteropathy. Both patients demonstrate diagnostic challenges related to clinical and/or laboratory features. These cases illustrate the important role histological assessment plays in determining the correct diagnosis, treatment course and prognosis in infants with protracted diarrhea.

Validation of the Ottawa Knee Rule in children: a multicenter study.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the Ottawa Knee Rules when they were applied to children. The secondary objective was to determine post hoc whether use of the rules would reduce the number of knee radiographs ordered. METHODS: This prospective, multicenter validation study included children aged 2 to 16 years who presented to the emergency department with a knee injury sustained in the preceding 7 days. Children were assessed for the variables comprising the Ottawa Knee Rules, and physicians ordered radiographs at their discretion. A positive outcome was defined as any fracture. A negative outcome was defined as children who did not have a fracture on radiograph or, if no radiograph was obtained, were asymptomatic after 14 days. RESULTS: A total of 750 children were enrolled. The mean age was 11.8+/-3.1 years, and 443 (58.7%) were male patients. Seventy children had fractures. Radiography was performed for 670 children, whereas 80 children had only a structured telephone interview. The Ottawa Knee Rules were 100% sensitive (95% confidence interval [CI] 94.9% to 100%), with a specificity of 42.8% (95% CI 39.1% to 46.5%). Only 460 children would have required a radiograph if radiographs had been performed according to the Ottawa Knee Rules, which would have resulted in an absolute reduction of 209 (31.2%) radiographs. CONCLUSION: The Ottawa Knee Rules are valid in children and have the potential to decrease the use of radiography in children with knee injuries.