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Table 1 Symptoms listed by organ system according to WAO anaphylaxis guidelines [1] comparing children/adolescents and adults fulfilling the WAO/EAACI criteria for the diagnosis of anaphylaxis (n = 180)

From: Anaphylaxis in an emergency care setting: a one year prospective study in children and adults

Symptoms

Children/adolescents

n = 23 (%)

Adults

n = 157 (%)

Skin, subcutaneous tissue and mucosa

23 (100)

146 (93)

 Generalized itching

11 (48)

69 (47)

 Generalized flushing/erythema

12 (52)

63 (43)

 Generalized urticaria

7 (30)

53 (36)

 Localized angioedema

7 (30)

55 (38)

 Generalized angioedema

9 (39)

46 (32)

Respiratory tract

19 (83)

124 (79)

 Sensation of throat tightness

7 (37)

78 (63)

 Throat itching

7 (37)

27 (22)

 Hoarseness

6 (32)

30 (24)

 Wheezing/bronchospasm

11 (58)

48 (39)

Gastrointestinal tract

14 (61)

95 (61)

 Dysphagia

5 (36)

47 (49)

 Abdominal pain

9 (64)

30 (32)

 Nausea

9 (64)

52 (55)

 Vomiting

5 (36)

21 (22)

 Diarrhea

3 (21)

13 (14)

Cardiovascular system

10 (43)

94 (60)

 Tachycardiaa

7 (70)

71 (76)

 Mild Hypotensionb

1 (10)

10 (11)

 Severe hypotensionc

1 (10)

15 (16)

 Urinary or fecal incontinence

1 (10)

7 (7)

Central Nervous System

11 (48)

72 (47)

 Uneasiness

1 (9)

10 (14)

 Altered mental status

7 (64)

42 (58)

 Dizziness

0 (0)

12 (17)

 Loss of consciousness

3 (27)

15 (21)

  1. aHeart rate above or equal to 100 beats per minute
  2. b Systolic blood pressure between 110 and 90 mmHg according to references [1, 12]
  3. c Systolic blood pressure below 90 mmHg according to references [1, 12]
  4. Boldface are marking the 5 different organ systems and for each organ system the percentage distribution of symptoms are given