Sex-Related Differences in Pediatric Anaphylaxis in a Tertiary Hospital from 2015 to 2022: An Epidemiological Study and Implications for Nursing Practice

Background/Objectives: Anaphylaxis is a severe systemic allergic reaction that may compromise multiple organ systems and requires prompt recognition and treatment. In childhood and adolescence, food allergy is one of the leading triggers, and clinical presentation may vary according to biological factors, including sex. This study aimed to analyze sex-related differences in pediatric patients with suspected anaphylaxis treated in a tertiary hospital. Methods: A retrospective, observational, descriptive ep-idemiological study was conducted in the pediatric emergency department of a ter-tiary hospital in Madrid, Spain, between 2015 and 2022. Sociodemographic variables, clinical history, symptoms, triage level, Pediatric Assessment Triangle classification, suspected allergens, hospital admission, and final diagnosis were analyzed. Results: A total of 368 patients were included; 65.2% were boys and 57.3% were younger than five years. In the unadjusted analyses, several differences emerged between boys and girls—in pharyngeal involvement, diarrhea, triage priority, and the allergens egg and shellfish. However, none of these differences remained statistically significant once corrected for multiple comparisons. Tree nuts, cow's milk protein, and egg were the most frequently suspected triggers overall. Conclusions: After correction for multiple comparisons, no robust evidence of sex-related differences was found in clinical presentation, triage severity, short-term management, or suspected triggers. The novel contribution of this study is that several apparently plausible sex-related signals were not robust to multiplicity adjustment. Pediatric emergency nursing assessment and triage should therefore remain primarily guided by the child’s clinical presentation and severity rather than by sex alone, while future adequately powered studies should examine whether more subtle sex-related patterns have clinical relevance.