Flight safety for food-allergic travellers: Current data and recommendation

Severe anaphylactic reactions occurring during airplane flights could involve up to 1% of food-allergic patients. The significant increase in the incidence of anaphylaxis in the past 20 years together with the total number of airline passengers also increasing may well result in increased anaphylaxis prevalence during airplane flights. American and British surveys, as well as' data from the Allergy Vigilance Network(R)'s study that we report here, cause us to consider the respective responsibilities of both allergic passengers and airline personnel when anaphylactic reactions occur during flights. The authors propose a preventive strategy based especially on training airline personnel on the administration of adrenalin auto-injectors and they insist particularly on having emergency kits on board, containing both a detailed treatment protocol for allergy-induced emergencies and the necessary drugs. (C) 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.