SAN DIEGO — People who report allergies to other drugs were more than 27 times as likely to report a penicillin allergy as people who reported no other drug allergies, Dr. Andrea J. Apter reported in a poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.
Other statistically significant predictors of penicillin allergy were a family history of penicillin allergy and a personal history of asthma, allergic rhinitis, or atopic dermatitis, wrote Dr. Apter of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and associates.
The study involved 24 adults with penicillin allergies and 39 age-matched controls with no allergies to penicillin. All were recruited from the offices of allergists.
Patients were judged to have a penicillin allergy if they responded positively to the questions, “Are you allergic to penicillin or its derivatives (for example, penicillin, amoxicillin, Augmentin, ampicillin, dicloxacillin, piperacillin, ticarcillin)? By allergic reaction, did you have hives, angioedema, wheeze, hypotension, or anaphylaxis after a dose of this antibiotic?”
The patients completed a questionnaire inquiring about several health-related matters, such as whether they had asthma, allergic rhinitis, or eczema; were currently taking more than two medications; or had more than two current medical diagnoses.
After controlling for age and a personal history of atopy, the researchers found statistically significant associations between penicillin allergy and allergies to other drugs (odds ratio 27.4) and between a personal history of penicillin allergy and a family history of penicillin allergy (OR 8.8). After controlling for age, they found a statistically significant association between a personal history of penicillin allergy and a personal history of atopy (OR 3.5). No other associations were statistically significant.