The burden of treatment and compliance with the epinephrine auto-injector (EAI) in food allergic patients of all ages: a pilot study

Background Food allergic patients at risk for severe reactions should carry an epinephrine auto-injector (EAI). This treatment entails a burden for them and therefore may affect their compliance. Although the burden of treatment of an EAI has previously been shown to be high in vespid allergic patients, this has not yet been studied in food allergic patients. Therefore we determined the overall burden of treatment with the EAI in food allergic patients as perceived by both patients themselves and the parents of food allergic children. Furthermore, we examined the outcome of food allergic reactions requiring EAI use.