Glen Allen, VA, Aug. 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kaléo today highlighted findings from two newly published papers that shed light on challenges in recognizing and treating anaphylaxis in infants and toddlers. Because signs and symptoms in young children may differ from those seen in older children and adults, serious allergic reactions can be more difficult to identify, potentially delaying treatment.
Against a backdrop of increasing attention to severe allergic reactions among children in the United States, the publications highlight a treatment gap: despite being the recommended first-line treatment for anaphylaxis, epinephrine remains underused. The publications examine factors that may contribute to delays in recognizing and treating severe allergic reactions and highlight opportunities to improve preparedness through healthcare provider training, caregiver education, community awareness, and system-level support.
Published in Pediatric Drugs, “Epinephrine Underuse for Anaphylaxis in Infants and Toddlers: A Practical Review for Pediatricians” (Leeds et al.) reviewed more than a decade of published literature to identify and analyze barriers that may contribute to delayed or missed epinephrine use during severe allergic reactions.
“Having epinephrine available is critical, but availability alone is not enough. It is also important to ensure caregivers recognize anaphylaxis and feel prepared to act quickly,” said Jay Lieberman, MD, Professor, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Program Director, Allergy/Immunology Fellowship Program, Le Bonheur Children's Hospital and a co-author on both studies and paid consultant for Kaléo. “By better understanding these barriers and implementing both educational and system-level solutions, we may be able to support timely recognition and treatment of severe allergic reactions in infants and toddlers.”
Potential approaches suggested in the paper include:
- Continue providing healthcare providers with education and resources that help them educate caregivers about anaphylaxis preparedness, recognition and treatment
- Train community-based caregivers – including childcare and preschool staff, school nurses, camp staff – to prevent, recognize, and/or treat anaphylaxis
- Provide parents, family and other caregivers of infants and toddlers with regular training and educational resources, such as online video/learning modules on allergen avoidance, signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis that warrant epinephrine use, when and how to use epinephrine devices, and the importance of having epinephrine readily available at all times, including explanation of device carriage, storage, and expiration
- Educate caregivers and community-based care providers that prompt administration of epinephrine is recommended when anaphylaxis is suspected, as early use may improve outcomes and reduce the risk of hospitalization
- Adopt system-level strategies, including measures to help improve access, legislative efforts to stock epinephrine in childcare centers, and scalable digital education approaches
- Implement shared decision-making between healthcare professionals and caregivers to support informed management of severe allergic emergencies, including when to administer epinephrine and when it may be necessary to seek emergency care
A second paper, a plain language review of four additional studies, that was published in Expert Review of Clinical Immunology aims to help increase awareness of anaphylaxis symptoms in infants and toddlers and support informed decision-making during allergic emergencies.
The goal of “Recognizing and Treating Serious Allergic Reactions (Anaphylaxis) in Infants and Toddlers: A Plain Language Review of Four Studies” (Pistiner et al.) is to make current research on recognizing and treating anaphylaxis in infants and toddlers more accessible to parents and caregivers, healthcare professionals, and community-based caregivers responsible for the care of young children.
The plain language review further highlights several practical solutions that may support timely recognition and treatment of anaphylaxis, including:
- Consider modifying traditional anaphylaxis recognition criteria to include age-specific signs and symptoms in infants and toddlers, such as unexplained irritability, inconsolable crying, drooling, back arching, belly breathing, and tongue-thrusting or licking behaviors, which may improve recognition of serious allergic reactions
- Establish and maintain an allergy emergency action plan with the patient’s healthcare professional, which may increase the likelihood that epinephrine is administered when needed
- Provide hands-on epinephrine administration training to caregivers, which may improve comfort with administering treatment during an allergic emergency
“These publications highlight important gaps in the recognition and management of serious allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, in infants and toddlers,” said Rachael Griffiths, PhD, Senior Director, Medical Affairs, Kaléo. “We hope the findings discussed in these reviews help inform discussions among healthcare professionals, caregivers, and the broader allergy community and support informed decision-making during allergic emergencies.”
The full publications are available at:
- Pediatric Drugs: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40272-026-00752-7
- Expert Review of Clinical Immunology: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1744666X.2026.2695166
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