“I do recommend an EpiPen for anybody who has a history of anaphylaxis or severe reaction or has a history of significant food allergy,” Dr. Volerman said. When she prescribes one, she goes over the potential signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction. “The guidelines now reflect that we should be exposing children to peanuts early. And many of the children in the Blue Cross Blue Shield survey had not previously been given diagnoses of allergies, Dr. Haywood said. So anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening reaction which can be effectively treated if you treat it promptly, is also a diagnosis that everyone should be ready to recognize, history of allergy or not.

Source: New York Times April 09, 2018 12:22 UTC