Top in allergy/asthma: COVID-19 vaccine reactions; Racial disparities in food allergies

Most people who reported a reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine said they were unlikely to receive another vaccine in the future, according to a survey from Massachusetts General Hospital.

Of nearly 1,000 respondents, most reported experiencing delayed large local skin reactions or hives/urticaria after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. More than half of respondents said they did not have concerns about reactions before being vaccinated, but after having a reaction, 40% reported their views of the vaccine soured.

“Amidst COVID-19 resurgence, it is essential to understand and address vaccine hesitancy as primary and booster vaccinations are our first line of defense in combatting the spread of COVID-19,” Kimberly G. Blumenthal, MD, MSc, quality and safety officer for allergy at Massachusetts General Hospital, told Healio. “This research allowed us to understand factors that contribute to vaccine hesitancy.”

It was the top story in allergy/asthma last week.

In another top story, researchers identified disparities between Black and white children with food allergies. The study showed that Black children had higher odds of severe reactions than white children, as well as more frequent ED visits.

Read these and more top stories in allergy/asthma below:

Patients with COVID-19 vaccine reactions may be hesitant to get additional doses

Negative reactions to COVID-19 vaccines such as local skin reactions and hives may drive hesitancy to receive additional doses, according to a study published in Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Read more.

Black children face disparities in food allergy reaction severity

Black children had higher odds for severe food allergy reactions and ED usage as well as lower total lifetime epinephrine use than white children, according to a study in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. Read more.

Immune-resetting peptide gets orphan drug designation for eosinophilic esophagitis

The FDA has granted an orphan drug designation to ’1104 from Revolo Biotherapeutics, a first-in-class immune-resetting peptide designed to treat eosinophilic esophagitis, according to a press release. Read more.

ARS Pharma continues epinephrine nasal spray studies while awaiting FDA approval

ARS Pharma continues to study the effectiveness and safety of its neffy epinephrine nasal spray as patients with allergies wait for an alternative to autoinjectors for anaphylaxis treatment. Read more.

Allergic conditions linked with more COVID-19 diagnoses, less mortality early in pandemic

Patients with allergic conditions had a greater risk for COVID-19 diagnosis but a lower risk for dying of the disease than patients without these conditions, researchers reported. Read more.