Drug allergy

The first mention of a drug allergy appeared about 100 years ago. Until the end of the 30s, complications were only 0.5-1.5%, and after the start of the use of sulfonamides, the situation changed for the worse. Currently, complications occur in 15-30% of cases and this is only with inpatient treatment. 

According to medical analysis, urban residents, namely women aged 30-40 years, are most often affected by drug allergies.

A drug allergy is a reaction of the immune system to any irritant substances that are part of medicines. Sometimes allergies can be quite harmless, and you may not even know that you suffer from this disease. In other cases, the reaction of the immune system can be quite dangerous. Drug allergy belongs to a serious group of diseases and can cause such an acute reaction of the body as anaphylactic shock – a severe pathological condition of the patient.

Causes of drug allergy:

other types of allergies that a person has;
hereditary factors;
the use of medicines for too long;
the use of a large number of medicines at the same time;
overdose of the drug (pseudoallergic reaction).

Symptoms of drug allergy

Allergic reactions to an allergen can occur on any part of the body, and symptoms of a drug allergy can occur in a patient from several minutes to several days:

damage to the upper respiratory tract (hay fever, asthma);
watery, reddened eyes;
eczema, urticaria;
inflammation and joint pain;
upset stomach (vomiting, diarrhea).

Complications caused by drug allergies:

severe allergic reaction (anaphylactic shock);
shortness of breath, whistling;
cold sweat;
rapid heartbeat;
trapivnitsa;
stomach cramps;
nausea, vomiting;
dizziness;
seizures;
acute cardiovascular insufficiency (collapse).

Classification of complications of drug allergy

There are complications that are not caused and are caused by the action of medicines.

Complications that are not caused by the action of drugs include psychogenic and neurogenic reactions, the expression of which is anxiety, drowsiness, nausea. In some cases, signs of the disease may be mistaken for complications of drug treatment.

Complications caused by the action of medicines may be either unrelated to or related to altered medicament sensitivity.

In case of complications without changing the sensitivity to drugs, a negative effect occurs with a high dosage of the drug. There is often a primary side effect, which is due to the treatment itself, or rather the direct effect of the drug on the organs. There is also a secondary drug allergy, which is a complication of drug treatment. The interaction of drugs can cause changes in their effects.

In case of complications associated with altered medicines sensitivity, intolerance to the drug occurs even when used in small doses. There is an idiosyncrasy, which is a qualitatively altered reaction to a medicament. It may be similar to a drug allergy, but it is caused by other mechanisms. Allergic reactions are always mediated by immune mechanisms.

Features of drug allergy

Drug allergies occur in a small number of patients, even when taking medicaments in small doses.

Allergic reactions occur only with repeated use of the medicines. Sometimes the drug can enter the patient's body with food, for example, together with meat that contained penicillins. The time between the use of the medicament and the occurrence of a drug allergy is usually several days. The manifestations of drug allergy are not similar to the effects of drugs and are not characteristic of the underlying disease.

3-5 days after stopping taking the medicines, the symptoms disappear or become almost invisible. And repeated use of the medicament leads to the development of an allergic reaction again. Very often, drug allergies occur when using penicillins, as well as drugs that contain a sulfonamide group.

The diagnosis of drug allergy is based on the detection of antibodies to allergens – specific immunoglobulins E. This analysis can be done at any age, regardless of the presence or absence of an exacerbation of an allergic disease. In the OLYMP Laboratory branches you can get tested for many different medicinal allergens. Thanks to the IMMULITE 2000 XPI automatic analyzer (Siemens, USA) the test for specific immunoglobulins E is performed quickly and is absolutely safe for health!