Progress of Home-Based Food Allergy Treatment during the Coronavirus Disease Pandemic in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Multicenter Survey
Akihiro Maeta,
Yuri Takaoka,
Atsuko Nakano,
Yukiko Hiraguchi,
Masaaki Hamada,
Yutaka Takemura,
Tomoko Kawakami,
Ikuo Okafuji,
Makoto Kameda,
Kyoko Takahashi
Affiliations
Akihiro Maeta
Department of Food Science and Nutrition, School of Food Science and Nutrition, Mukogawa Women’s University, 6-46, Ikebiraki-cho, Nishinomiya 663-8558, Japan
Yuri Takaoka
Department of Pediatrics, Osaka Prefectural Hospital Organization Osaka Habikino Medical Center, 3-7-1, Habikino 583-8588, Japan
Atsuko Nakano
Department of Pediatrics, Kokuho Chuo Hospital, 404-1, Miyako, Shiki 636-0302, Japan
Yukiko Hiraguchi
Department of Pediatrics, Osaka Saiseikai Nakatsu Hospital, 2-10-39, Shibata, Osaka 530-0012, Japan
Masaaki Hamada
Department of Pediatrics, Yao Municipal Hospital, 1-3-1, Ryuge-cho, Yao 581-0069, Japan
Yutaka Takemura
Department of Pediatrics, Kindai University Hospital, 377-2, Onohigashi, Osakasayama 577-8502, Japan
Tomoko Kawakami
Department of Pediatrics, Sumitomo Hospital, 5-3-20, Nakanoshima, Osaka 530-0005, Japan
Ikuo Okafuji
Department of Pediatrics, Kobe City Hospital Organization Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital, 2-1-1, Minatoshima-cho, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
Makoto Kameda
Department of Pediatrics, Osaka Prefectural Hospital Organization Osaka Habikino Medical Center, 3-7-1, Habikino 583-8588, Japan
Kyoko Takahashi
Department of Food Science and Nutrition, School of Food Science and Nutrition, Mukogawa Women’s University, 6-46, Ikebiraki-cho, Nishinomiya 663-8558, Japan
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic’s impact on food allergy treatment such as home-based oral immunotherapy (OIT) is not known. This cross-sectional, questionnaire-based anonymized survey screened 2500 parents of children with allergic diseases and was conducted in the pediatric outpatient clinics of 24 hospitals. Basic clinical data of the children were collected along with the degree of allergy control, parental anxiety about emergency visits, and the risk of COVID-19 in the first state of emergency. A total of 2439 (97.6%) questionnaires were collected, and 1315 parents who were instructed to initiate home-based OIT for their children were enrolled (OIT group). Subjective OIT progress compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic was ascertained as “Full”, “Middle”, “Low”, “Little”, and “Stop” in 264 (20.1%), 408 (31.0%), 384 (29.2%), 203 (15.4%), and 56 (4.3%) participants, respectively. Anxiety about emergency visits and the risk of COVID-19 were negatively associated with the subjective OIT progress. In Japan, approximately half of the children continued smoothly the home-based OIT during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents with high levels of anxiety about the disruption of the medical care system due to COVID-19 and the risk of COVID-19 did not experience a smooth continuation of home-based OIT.