scholarly journals Diagnosing and Managing Patients with Reactions to Radiocontrast Media

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 210-221
Author(s):  
Knut Brockow

Abstract Purpose of the review Iodinated radio contrast media (RCM) belong to the most common elicitors of drug hypersensitivity reactions (HR). Urticaria or anaphylaxis may occur ≤ 1(−6) hour(s) (immediate HR) and exanthems (non-immediate HR) develop > 6 h after application of RCM. Evidence for an immunologic mechanism of RCM HR against the different RCM benzene ring molecules and the benefit of allergological testing in patients with previous hypersensitivity reactions is progressively increasing. Recent findings Positive skin tests can confirm allergy in patients with previous reactions to RCM and help to select alternative better tolerated RCMs. Severe hypersensitivity reactions are mainly caused by an allergic mechanism, whereas the majority of non-severe reactions appear to be non-allergic. Skin testing is highly recommended to help identify allergic hypersensitivity reactions and to select alternatives. Using structurally different RCM is more effective than premedication for the prevention of future reactions. Drug provocation tests to RCM have been increasingly used, but are not yet standardized among different centers. Summary In patients with previous severe hypersensitivity reactions to RCM, skin testing is recommended. For future RCM-enhanced examinations in patients with previous reactions, structurally different, skin test-negative preparations should be applied. Drug provocation tests do confirm or exclude RCM hypersensitivity or may demonstrate tolerability of alternative RCMs.

2021 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-43
Author(s):  
Laura Levantino ◽  
Cristiana Corrado ◽  
Laura Badina ◽  
Sara Lega ◽  
Egidio Barbi

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the main triggers of drug hypersensitivity reactions in children. According to the EAACI latest classification NSAIDs hypersensitivity reactions are differentiated into cross-reactive reactions, with non-immunological mechanisms (based on COX-1 inhibition), and selective reactions, with immunological mechanisms. Paediatric clinical manifestations of NSAID hypersensitivity are typically cutaneous, but sometimes, similarly to anaphylaxis, can involve other systems, especially the respiratory one. Differentiating between NSAID intolerance and NSAID allergy through drug provocation tests is crucial for the patient because the two clinical entities require different management.


2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna R. Wolfson ◽  
Aleena Banerji

Immediate hypersensitivity to drugs is characterized by symptoms such as hives, swelling, and wheezing. To prevent a negative impact on care, assessment by an allergist is important. Evaluation requires a clear clinical history, but it is often lacking or vague, which makes a diagnosis difficult. Allergists instead can use skin testing and drug challenge to evaluate drug hypersensitivity reactions, which help the patient and provider understand the causative drug(s) and, more importantly, enables the use of the exonerated drug(s). Although penicillin skin testing is standardized, well described, and widely used, skin testing for most other drugs requires the use of a nonirritating skin testing concentration that can have a low negative predictive value. Drug challenges are the criterion standard for confirming tolerance. The allergist must obtain an in-depth clinical history and then follow with skin testing and/or drug challenges when indicated to determine which drugs can be de-labelled and which should be avoided. In this review, we focused on the evaluation of drug hypersensitivity reactions to antibiotics, perioperative agents, biologics, and chemotherapeutics.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (36) ◽  
pp. 3829-3839 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriana Ariza ◽  
Maria J. Torres ◽  
Carmen Moreno-Aguilar ◽  
Rubén Fernández-Santamaría ◽  
Tahia D. Fernández

Drug hypersensitivity reactions (DHRs) are typically classified into immediate and delayed reactions based on the time interval between drug exposure and onset of symptoms. Clinical manifestations range from mild to severe and life-threatening reactions. The most severe clinical entities are anaphylaxis and anaphylactic shock for immediate reactions, and severe cutaneous adverse reactions such as Steven Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis for delayed reactions. The diagnosis is complex and challenging, as drug provocation tests and even skin tests can be very risky procedures, which makes them not recommended. Therefore, it is necessary to search for useful early biomarkers to manage the diagnosis of these reactions. These biomarkers could be useful to determine the clinical entity, but not to identify the culprit drug. Some of the currently available biomarkers are few genetic associations of drug allergy with polymorphisms of human leukocyte antigen (HLA), the detection of inflammatory and lipid mediators in serum, or the detection of cytokines, chemokines, and cytotoxic markers in skin biopsies. In this literature review, it has been summarize the immunological mechanisms involved in severe reactions, both immediate and delayed, and different early biomarkers: those currently used for the diagnosis of these reactions as well as possible early biomarkers that could be useful with further studies to standardize their clinical use.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. e240050
Author(s):  
Joana Carvalho ◽  
Georgeta Oliveira

Beta-lactam (BL) antibiotics are the most frequent cause of drug hypersensitivity in children, inducing both immediate and non-immediate reactions. Here we report a case of a 4-year-old child with a disseminated maculopapular exanthema 7 days after the first dose of amoxicillin–clavulanate, referred to our paediatric allergy department. Skin prick tests were negative. Intradermal tests were performed and, after 10 hours, indurated wheals larger than 10×10 mm with progressive erythema and disseminated maculopapular eruption were developed, related to amoxicillin and amoxicillin–clavulanate. Systemic reactions to BL skin tests are rarely reported and the majority are immediate reactions. This case illustrates a rare example of a non-immediate systemic reaction to intradermal tests, underlying the importance of skin testing before drug provocation tests in cases of moderate to severe non-immediate reactions.


2022 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teodorikez Wilfox Jimenez-Rodriguez ◽  
Francisco Manuel Marco de la Calle ◽  
Inmaculada Lozano-Cubo ◽  
Rosa Ana Montoyo-Anton ◽  
Victor Soriano-Gomis ◽  
...  

Introduction: Phenotype I hypersensitivity reactions are the most commonly reported drug reactions; however, precision medicine has made it possible to characterize new phenotypes. A recent communication proposed the existence of a “converter phenotype,” which would affect patients who present non-immediate hypersensitivity reactions and in subsequent exposures develop immediate hypersensitivity reactions. This study aimed to describe the clinical characteristics of converter phenotype reactions and their evolution during desensitization to chemotherapeutic drugs and monoclonal antibodies.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed our database of patients undergoing desensitization to chemotherapy or biological agents and selected those with a converter phenotype. Demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients, the results of skin tests, tryptase and IL-6 levels, and desensitization outcomes were assessed.Results: Of 116 patients evaluated, 12 (10.3%) were identified as having a converter phenotype. The median interval between drug exposure and reaction was 90.6 h (range 8-288 h). After the conversion, phenotype I was the most frequent (58.3%), followed by cytokine release reactions (33.3%). Fifty-one desensitizations were undertaken and all treatments completed, with 10 (19.6%) breakthrough reactions. No new changes in the phenotype were detected.Conclusions: The symptoms of non-immediate drug hypersensitivity reactions may indicate the need for an early allergological evaluation to assess the risk of future immediate drug reactions. Clinical characteristics, skin test results, and biomarkers can help predict responses to rapid drug desensitization, guiding clinicians on how to optimize therapy delivery while maintaining patient safety.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
James L Baldwin ◽  
Aimee L. Speck

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are an important public health problem. An ADR is defined by the World Health Organization as an unintended, noxious response to a drug that occurs at a dose usually tolerated by normal subjects. The classification of ADRs by Rawlins and Thompson divides ADRs into two major subtypes: (1) type A reactions, which are dose dependent and predictable, and (2) type B reactions, which are uncommon and unpredictable. The majority of ADRs are type A reactions, which include four subtypes: overdosage or toxicity, side effects, secondary effects, and interactions. Type B reactions constitute approximately 10 to 15% of all ADRs and include four subtypes: drug intolerance, idiosyncratic reactions, pseudoallergic reactions, and drug hypersensitivity reactions. This chapter reviews the epidemiology of ADRs, risk factors for drug hypersensitivity reactions, the classification of drug reactions, diagnostic tests, reactions to specific drugs, and management of the patient with drug allergy. Figures illustrate drugs as haptens and prohaptens, the Gell and Coombs system, the four basic immunologic mechanisms for drug reactions, the chemical structure of different β-lactam antibiotics, penicillin skin testing, sulfonamide metabolism and haptenation, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug effects, and patient management. Tables outline the classification of ADRs, drugs frequently implicated in allergic drug reactions, and reagents and concentrations recommended for prick and intradermal skin testing. This review contains 8 figures, 7 tables, and 60 references. Key Words: Adverse drug reactions, drug hypersensitivity reactions, overdosage, toxicity, Type A reactions, Type B reactions, human leukocyte antigen, pruritus, angioedema, urticarial, bronchospasm, laryngeal edema, rhinoconjunctivitis


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
James L Baldwin ◽  
Aimee L. Speck

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are an important public health problem. An ADR is defined by the World Health Organization as an unintended, noxious response to a drug that occurs at a dose usually tolerated by normal subjects. The classification of ADRs by Rawlins and Thompson divides ADRs into two major subtypes: (1) type A reactions, which are dose dependent and predictable, and (2) type B reactions, which are uncommon and unpredictable. The majority of ADRs are type A reactions, which include four subtypes: overdosage or toxicity, side effects, secondary effects, and interactions. Type B reactions constitute approximately 10 to 15% of all ADRs and include four subtypes: drug intolerance, idiosyncratic reactions, pseudoallergic reactions, and drug hypersensitivity reactions. This chapter reviews the epidemiology of ADRs, risk factors for drug hypersensitivity reactions, the classification of drug reactions, diagnostic tests, reactions to specific drugs, and management of the patient with drug allergy. Figures illustrate drugs as haptens and prohaptens, the Gell and Coombs system, the four basic immunologic mechanisms for drug reactions, the chemical structure of different β-lactam antibiotics, penicillin skin testing, sulfonamide metabolism and haptenation, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug effects, and patient management. Tables outline the classification of ADRs, drugs frequently implicated in allergic drug reactions, and reagents and concentrations recommended for prick and intradermal skin testing. This review contains 8 figures, 7 tables, and 60 references. Key Words: Adverse drug reactions, drug hypersensitivity reactions, overdosage, toxicity, Type A reactions, Type B reactions, human leukocyte antigen, pruritus, angioedema, urticarial, bronchospasm, laryngeal edema, rhinoconjunctivitis


Author(s):  
Isabel Torres-Rojas ◽  
Diana Perez ◽  
Maria Luisa Somoza-Alvarez ◽  
Elisa Haroun Diaz ◽  
Ana María Prieto-Moreno Pfeifer ◽  
...  

Background Beta-lactams generate different allergenic determinants that induce selective or cross-reactive drug hypersensitivity reactions (DHRs). We aimed to identify the drugs involved, the selectivity of the response, the mechanism, and the value of the different diagnostic tests for establishing a diagnosis in children evaluated for DHRs to beta-lactams. Methods Prospective study evaluating children aged under 16 years reporting DHRs to beta-lactams. Reactions were classified as immediate and nonimmediate reactions. The work-up included sIgE, skin testing and drug provocation tests (DPTs) for immediate reactions and patch testing and DPTs for nonimmediate ones. Results Of the 510 included children, 133 were evaluated for immediate reactions and confirmed in 8.3%. Skin test/in vitro IgE contributed to diagnosing half of the cases. Selective reactions occurred with amoxicillin (63%), followed by common penicillin determinants (27%) and cephalosporins (0.9%). Among nonimmediate reactions (11,4% of the 377 children evaluated), most required DPTs, 52.7% of which were positive at 6–7 days of drug challenge. Selective reactions were identified with amoxicillin (80%), penicillin G (7.5%), cephalosporins (7.5%), and clavulanic acid (5%). Urticaria and maculopapular exanthema were the most frequent entities. Conclusions There were few confirmed cases of either type of reaction. Skin testing proved less valuable in nonimmediate reactions, over half of which would also have been lost in a short DPT protocol. Selective responders to amoxicillin were more likely to have nonimmediate reactions, while clavulanic acid-selectivity was exclusive to the nonimmediate typology. Over half the cases with DPTs required 6-7 days of treatment for DHR confirmation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 227-232
Author(s):  
Teresa Bangerl ◽  
Brigitte Zahel ◽  
Andrea Lueger ◽  
Emmanuella Guenova ◽  
Irena Angelova-Fischer ◽  
...  

Summary Background Hypersensitivity to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is the second most common cause of drug hypersensitivity. Despite the importance of NSAIDs in routine analgesia only few studies have systematically addressed the question of tolerability in hypersensitive patients. Methods The authors retrospectively analysed 398 patients that were treated at the Department of Dermatology, Kepler University Hospital Linz, Austria, in the period 2012–2016 with a clinical history of NSAID hypersensitivity. Skin tests (skin prick and intracutaneous tests) to common NSAIDs were performed, followed by single-blinded, placebo-controlled drug challenge with either the culprit drug or an alternative NSAID. Results A total of 361 patients were subjected to skin testing. Of these, 25 patients (6.3%) showed a positive reaction to the culprit drug. According to the severity of the reaction in the medical history, 87 patients were exposed orally to the culprit drug (oral provocation test, OPT) after negative skin test and 255 patients received OPT with alternative NSAIDs according to established protocols. OPT with the culprit drug resulted in hypersensitivity reactions in 12 patients (13.79%). In terms of alternative NSAID testing, the three most commonly tested drugs were lornoxicam (192 OPTs), acetaminophen (156 OPTs) and celecoxib (133 OPTs) with tolerability rates in respectively 88.54% (hypersensitivity reactions, 11.46%), 92.31% (hypersensitivity reactions, 7.69%) and 91.73% (hypersensitivity reactions, 8.27%) of cases. Conclusion OPT with alternative NSAIDs are useful in patients with NSAID hypersensitivity as tolerability varies between the individual substances.


2021 ◽  
Vol 35 ◽  
pp. 205873842110150
Author(s):  
Rakesh D Bansie ◽  
A Faiz Karim ◽  
Maurits S van Maaren ◽  
Maud AW Hermans ◽  
Paul LA van Daele ◽  
...  

Introduction: Allergic and nonallergic hypersensitivity reactions to iodinated contrast media (ICM) and gadolinium-based contrast media are classified as immediate or non-immediate hypersensitivity reactions (IHR and NIHR), respectively. Skin tests and provocation tests are recommended for the evaluation of hypersensitivity reactions to contrast agents; however provocations are not common in clinical practice. Methods: A MEDLINE search was conducted to investigate studies comprising both skin tests and provocation tests that evaluated hypersensitivity reactions to ICM. Results: Nineteen studies were identified that reported on skin tests, followed by provocations. In the case of IHR to ICM, 65/69 (94%) patients with a positive skin test for the culprit media tolerated a challenge with a skin-test-negative alternative ICM. In IHR to ICM with a negative skin test for the culprit media, provocations were positive in 3.2%–9.1% patients. In the case of a NIHR to ICM with a positive skin test, provocation with a skin-test-negative agent was tolerated in 75/105 (71%) of cases. In NIHR with a negative skin test for the culprit agent, re-exposure to the culprit or an alternative was positive in 0%–34.6% patients. Provocations with the same ICM in skin test positive patients with IHR or NIHR were positive for a majority of the patients, although such provocation tests were rarely performed. Data on hypersensitivity reactions, skin tests and provocations with gadolinium-based contrast media were limited; however, they exhibited a pattern similar to that observed in ICM. Conclusion: In both ICM and gadolinium-based contrast media, the risk of an immediate repeat reaction is low when skin tests are negative. In contrast, a provocation with a skin-test-positive contrast medium showed a high risk of an immediate repeat hypersensitivity reaction. Therefore, a thorough medical history is necessary, followed by skin tests. A provocation is recommended, for diagnostic work-up, when the diagnosis is uncertain.


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