Researchers find an increased rate of unintentional injection of epinephrine from auto-injectors for anaphylaxis (severe allergic reactions) and urge people who may need to administer the life-saving drug to themselves or others in an allergic emergency to receive regular coaching in its proper use. The report is published this month in Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).

More than 50 million Americans suffer from some type of allergy. While an allergy often makes people miserable, it's rarely dangerous, unless it results in an anaphylactic reaction, an allergic emergency. Fast-acting, self-administered epinephrine (adrenaline) auto-injectors are commonly prescribed for people who are at risk of anaphylaxis.

Systematically reviewing 26 reports published in peer-reviewed journals during the past 20 years, F. Estelle R. Simons, M.D., Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and colleagues in the United States, found that most of the 69 incidents of unintentional injection of epinephrine reported to date in the medical literature have occurred during the past 6 years.

The true rate of occurrence of unintentional injection of epinephrine from auto-injectors is unknown, but the authors note that the previously projected rate of 1 in 50,000 injections has been seriously underestimated…