@article{ref1,
title="Risk factors for systemic reactions to bee venom in British beekeepers",
journal="Annals of allergy, asthma and immunology",
year="2011",
author="Richter, Alex G. and Nightingale, Peter and Huissoon, Aarnoud P. and Krishna, Mamidipudi T.",
volume="106",
number="2",
pages="159-163",
abstract="BACKGROUND: There is a high incidence of systemic reactions (SRs) to bee stings in beekeepers, but the factors predisposing individuals to such responses are not well understood. OBJECTIVES: To identify factors that predispose British beekeepers to SRs and to investigate how beekeepers access specialist services after SRs to bee venom. METHODS: A link to an online survey was published in the bimonthly magazine and on the Web site of the British Beekeepers Association. The demographic results are presented using descriptive analysis, and a logistic regression model was used to determine risk factors for SRs. RESULTS: There were 852 responses to the questionnaire of which 63% were from male beekeepers; the most common age range was 51 to 60 years. Twenty-eight percent of all responders had experienced a large local reaction and 21% had experienced a SR. Factors that predisposed beekeepers to SRs included female sex, having a family member with bee venom allergy, more than 2 years of beekeeping before a SR, and premedication with an antihistamine before attending the hives. A total of 44% of beekeepers with SRs attended the emergency department because of their symptoms, 16.6% were reviewed by an allergy specialist, and only 18% carried an adrenaline autoinjector. CONCLUSIONS: Logistic regression analysis identified a number of novel factors to be associated with the development of SRs. Rates of attendance at the emergency department, allergy specialist review, and carriage of adrenaline were low, highlighting a need for education in the beekeeping community and among health care professionals.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1081-1206",
doi="10.1016/j.anai.2010.11.005",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anai.2010.11.005"
}