Retrospective Evaluation of Patients Admitted to the Emergency Department Due to Anaphylaxis in Children: A Single-Center Study from Türkiye

Background: Management of pediatric anaphylaxis in the emergency department remains clinically important. The research investigated pediatric anaphylaxis medical indicators together with physician adherence to international treatment protocols at a Turkish tertiary medical center. Methods: Between September 2014 and July 2025, 166 pediatric anaphylaxis patients were retrospectively reviewed for triggering factors, clinical findings, treatment approaches, and quality indicators. Results: The mean age of the patients was 7.4 ± 5.6 years. Food allergy was the main cause with 53%, followed by drugs with 24.7%. Food allergy in infants was 85.7%, while drug reactions in adolescents reached 37.2% (p < 0.001). Skin findings were present in 93.4% of the patients, and respiratory symptoms were present in 67.5% of the patients. Epinephrine was administered to 97.6% of patients, 95.2% of whom were given intramuscularly. The rate of epinephrine administration in the first 30 min was 61.1%. Drug-induced anaphylaxis showed the highest proportion of severe cases (81.6%, p < 0.001). A biphasic reaction was seen in 6%. The auto-injector prescription rate was 7.8%, and the allergist referral rate was 15.7%. No deaths were observed. Conclusions: While acute-phase management largely adheres to international guidelines, significant gaps persist in post-discharge care with low auto-injector prescription and allergist referral rates.