Purpose: The majority of penicillin allergy labels are false, and skin tests (ST) have high negative predictive value (NPV) of up to 90%. Piperacillin-tazobactam (PT) allergy has been suspected to be an exception to this, but existing literature is scarce. We investigate the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, testing outcomes and predictive value of ST in patients referred for suspected PT allergies.
Methods: The records of all patients referred for suspected PT allergy testing and prescription rates of PT in all Hong Kong public hospitals (2015-2019) were analyzed.
Results: There was an increase in both PT prescriptions and number of newly reported PT allergies between 2015 and 2019. The majority (91.1%) of patients with suspected PT allergy had at least 1 underlying medical co-morbidity or immunosuppressant use leading to increased risk of infections. Thirty-six patients with suspected PT allergy completed ST. Two patients had positive ST, and 32/34 patients with negative ST underwent drug provocation testing (DPT). Nine of these patients were diagnosed with PT allergy based on positive DPT. Overall, 11/34 (32.4%) were diagnosed with PT allergy and the NPV of ST was 71.9%.
Conclusions: There is growing utilization of PT and corresponding cases of suspected allergies. The majority of suspected PT allergies had increased risk for recurrent infections. Unlike other penicillin allergy, there is a high rate of genuine PT allergy (up to 30%) and a poor NPV of ST (up to 70%). DPT remains the gold standard for accurate diagnosis, and all patients with a suspected allergy should undergo thorough allergy workup.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.4168/aair.2021.13.2.284 | DOI Listing |
Front Allergy
January 2025
Allergy and Immunology Division, Department of Medicine, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Introduction: COVID-19 vaccination has been a key intervention in reducing the severity of symptoms; however, concerns about vaccine safety, particularly regarding allergic reactions, arose early on. Healthcare workers faced the challenge of addressing these concerns to ensure safe vaccine administration. This study aimed to review the practical aspects of using allergy skin testing for COVID-19 vaccine excipients in patients with a history of allergic reactions developed following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Allergy Clin Immunol Glob
February 2025
Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Hong Kong, China.
Background: Adverse effects following immunizations (AEFIs) can contribute to vaccine hesitancy.
Objective: We evaluated clinical outcomes of AEFIs subsequent to administration of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine at 2 pediatric allergy centers.
Methods: Data on pediatric patients referred for COVID-19 AEFI concerns between March 2021 and October 2022 were reviewed.
Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol
January 2025
Division of Allergy & Immunology, Department of Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
Drug allergy encompasses a spectrum of immunologically-mediated hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) with varying mechanisms and clinical presentations. This type of adverse drug reaction (ADR) not only affects patient quality of life, but may also lead to delayed treatment, unnecessary investigations, and increased morbidity and mortality. Given the spectrum of symptoms associated with the condition, diagnosis can be challenging.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPediatr Gastroenterol Hepatol Nutr
January 2025
Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Purpose: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is the most well-known eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorder (EGID) characterized by the presence of a high number eosinophils within the esophageal epithelium and the clinical signs. Biopsies of patients with suspected EoE may not show a high number of eosinophils, however the presence of granules may help with the diagnosis. This study aims to evaluate the presence of cell-free eosinophil granules in the esophageal tissue of patients with suspected and confirmed EoE to accelerate the diagnosis and treatment of patients with low eosinophil count.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDrugs R D
January 2025
Research Division, Federal Institute of Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM), Kurt-Georg-Kiesinger-Allee 3, 53175, Bonn, Germany.
Introduction: In November 2018, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) restricted the use of fluoroquinolones (used by mouth, injections or inhalation) in the context of a referral due to long-lasting and potentially irreversible adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Fluoroquinolones should no longer be used to treat mild or moderate bacterial infections unless other antibacterials cannot be used.
Objectives: The first aim of our study was to analyze whether in the period before compared with after the referral the characteristics of spontaneous ADR reports related to fluoroquinolones differed and whether specific ADRs were more frequently reported for fluoroquinolones compared with cotrimoxazole.
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