Study shows lower than expected allergic-like events following second prescription of ...( emains imperfect for determining true p...),Health

emains imperfect for determining true penicillin allergy due to a lack of commercial availability of some of the most useful testing materials. Researchers also calculated, from the records of two million patients who received at least two prescriptions for penicillin, that the risk of having a second allergic-like event was approximately 11-times greater for those who suffered an allergic-like event after the previous treatment even if, overall, there were far fewer secondary events than expected.

"As one of the cheapest and most effective antibiotics available, it is essential for clinicians to know just how common allergic-like reactions are and when really to avoid re-prescription of penicillin," said Principal Investigator Andrea J. Apter, MD, MSc, Associate Professor of Medicine and allergist/immunologist in Penn's Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Division, and Associate Scholar in the CCEB.

Researchers caution that the rates of second allergic-like events may have been artificially depressed if patients with the most severe allergic-like events did not receive further prescriptions. Nevertheless, this study suggests that there are some patients labeled as penicillin-allergic who can safely receive that antibiotic in time of need and when the alternatives are not as effective. More research is needed to understand how to identify these patients in advance.

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Contact: David March
david.march@uphs.upenn.edu
215-615-3353
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
7-Apr-2004

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