Parent-Reported Penicillin Allergy Symptoms in the Pediatric Emergency Department

Promoting penicillin allergy de-labeling for children attending a hematology clinic

BACKGROUND

Up to 10% of children are reported to be allergic to penicillin, but many allergy labels are unverified and may require formal testing. Inaccurate drug allergy labels are associated with a range of adverse clinical outcomes. Patients with hematological disorders may experience frequent and severe infections; those who have been incorrectly labeled penicillin allergic may benefit from allergy de-labeling (ADL) efforts to facilitate access to beta-lactam antibiotics. We developed a multidisciplinary, pharmacist-driven process that enabled non-allergist trained providers to assess and de-label penicillin allergies in a pediatric hematology center.

METHODS

Volunteers, including physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, and pharmacists, were trained in skin testing and oral challenge procedures. Patients were identified by review of electronic medical records for penicillin or penicillin-derivative allergy. Patient and family interviews were conducted in cases where a true penicillin allergy was deemed uncertain based on chart review. If allergy could not be de-labeled by chart review or interview alone, patients were offered skin and/or oral challenge testing.

RESULTS

Fifty-nine patients were initially labeled as penicillin allergic. Allergy labels of 11 (19%) were removed by chart review only, and 15 (25%) after conducting interviews. A total of two (3%) patients were ineligible due to contraindications, and five (9%) declined participation. Twenty-six patients (44%) underwent allergy testing (50% skin testing, 50% oral challenge) of which 23 (88%) were negative.

CONCLUSIONS

ADL was possible in most patients previously identified as penicillin allergic. Testing was well tolerated with no serious adverse effects.

Outcomes of antibiotic treatment for respiratory infections in children an observational study in primary care

BACKGROUND

Antibiotic resistance is an increasing global threat, accelerated by both misuse and overuse of antibiotics. Most antibiotics to humans are prescribed in primary care, commonly for respiratory symptoms, and there is a need for research on the usage of and outcomes after antibiotic treatment to counteract antibiotic resistance.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate symptom duration, treatment length, and adverse events of antibiotic treatment in children.

DESIGN AND SETTING

Observational study at four out-of-hours services and one paediatric emergency clinic in Norwegian emergency primary care.

SUBJECTS

266 children aged 0 to 6 years with fever or respiratory symptoms.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Duration of symptoms and absenteeism from kindergarten/school, treatment length, and reported adverse events.

RESULTS

There were no differences in duration of symptoms, fever or absenteeism when comparing the groups prescribed (30.8%) and not prescribed (69.2%) antibiotics. This lack of difference remained when analysing the subgroup with otitis media.In the group prescribed antibiotics, 84.5% of parents reported giving antibiotics for 5-7 days, and 50.7% reported no difficulties. Adverse events of antibiotics were reported in 42.3% of the cases, the vast majority being gastrointestinal disturbances.

CONCLUSION

Children with fever or respiratory symptoms experience similar duration of symptoms and absenteeism regardless of antibiotic treatment. A substantial number of parents reported adverse events when the child received antibiotics. Several parents experienced additional difficulties with the treatment, some ending treatment within day 4.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT02496559; Results.

Pediatric Residents Knowledge of Penicillin Allergy

Penicillin allergy knowledge has not been evaluated specifically in the pediatric resident population. An anonymous electronic survey was distributed to all the pediatric residents in a single residency program to ascertain knowledge of penicillin allergies and allergy history taking skills. Responses among each resident class were compared using the Fisher exact test, 2-tailed. A total of 46 (52%) of 88 pediatric residents completed the survey. Only 63% reported to have had prior penicillin allergy education. All residents incorrectly identified low-risk symptoms as high-risk symptoms. The knowledge of penicillin allergy was poor across all training levels with no improvement over the duration of training. There is large support in the literature for de-labeling penicillin allergy in patients. Pediatric residents evaluate patients in childhood when most of the allergy labeling occurs. We need to consider strategies for incorporating penicillin allergy education in pediatric residency training.

Documented Penicillin Allergies on Antibiotic Selection at Pediatric Emergency Department Visits

BACKGROUND

Penicillin or amoxicillin are the recommended treatments for the most common pediatric bacterial illnesses. Allergies to penicillin are commonly reported among children but rarely true. We evaluated the impact of reported penicillin allergies on broad-spectrum antibiotic use overall and for the treatment of common respiratory infections among treat-and-release pediatric emergency department (ED) visits.

METHODS

Retrospective cohort study of pediatric patients receiving antibiotics during a treat-and-release visit at a large, pediatric ED in the northeast from 2014 to 2016. Study exposure was a reported allergy to penicillin in the electronic medical record. Study outcomes were the selection of broad-spectrum antibiotics and alternative (second-line) antibiotic therapy for the treatment of acute otitis media (AOM) and group A streptococcus (GAS) pharyngitis. We used unadjusted and adjusted generalized estimating equation models to analyze the impact of reported penicillin allergies on the selection of broad-spectrum antibiotics. We used unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models to determine the probability of children with a documented penicillin allergy receiving alternative antibiotic treatments for AOM and GAS.

RESULTS

Among 12,987 pediatric patients, 810 (6.2%) had a documented penicillin allergy. Penicillin allergies increased the odds of children receiving a broad spectrum versus narrow spectrum antibiotic (adjusted odds ratio, 13.55; 95% confidence interval (CI), 11.34-16.18). In our adjusted logistic regression model, the probability of children with a documented penicillin allergy receiving alternative antibiotic treatment for AOM was 0.97 (95% CI, 0.94-0.99) and for GAS was 0.97 (95% CI, 0.92-0.99).

CONCLUSIONS

Antibiotic stewardship efforts in pediatric EDs may consider the delabeling of penicillin allergies particularly among children receiving antibiotics for an acute respiratory infection as a target for intervention.

The importance of clinical history in the diagnosis of drug hypersensitivity in children

BACKGROUND

In case of suspected hypersensitivity reactions (HRs) to drugs, a challenging area for pediatricians is detecting relevant elements in the parent-reported history, in order to reach a definite diagnosis. We analyzed the concordance between the description of the HR and the medical reports documented at the time of the event. Furthermore, we studied any correlation between clinical history variables and the prediction of true allergy.

METHODS

We retrospectively collected 50 charts of children referred to our Allergy Unit, after a previous access to the Emergency Department. We compared the description of the HR at acute phase to the history told by parents. Type and timing of the HR and culprit drug were classified as "known" or "unknown." The diagnosis was confirmed or excluded at the end of the investigations. Logistic regression analysis was performed to find any significant association.

RESULTS

The type of the HR was known in 74%, the timing in 28%, and the culprit drug in 98%. We showed that having had a severe HR had an increased odds of remembering the timing; being older >6 years and having had an immediate HR had an increased odds of remembering the type; time to diagnostic was lower in patients whose parents remembered the type of HR.

CONCLUSION

Our paper underlines the importance of an accurate anamnesis at the time of the event. Providing the physicians with a standardized Case Report Form could be a useful tool to simplify the diagnostic work-up and minimize mistakes due to lack of memory.

Multisite Oral Amoxicillin Challenges During Pediatric Emergency Department Visits

This cohort study assesses differences in children’s allergy risk level designation and results of a direct oral challenge via a penicillin allergy delabeling process.

Approach for delabeling beta-lactam allergy in children

A considerable number of pediatric patients treated with beta-lactam (BL) antibiotics develop delayed onset of skin rashes during the course of treatment. Although the most frequent cause of these symptoms is infectious, many cases are labeled as allergic reactions to these drugs. BL allergy labels could have a negative impact, as they imply avoidance of this group of drugs and the use of second-line antibiotics, leading to a potential increase in adverse effects and the utilization of less effective therapies. This constitutes a major public health concern and economic burden, as the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics can result in multidrug-resistant organisms and prolonged hospital stays. Therefore, it is crucial to delabel patients during childhood to avoid false labeling in adult life. Although the label of BL allergy is among the most frequent causes of allergy referral, its management remains controversial, and new diagnostic perspectives are changing the paradigm of managing BL allergies in children. Traditionally, drug provocation testing (DPT) was exclusively performed in patients who had previously obtained negative results from skin tests (STs). However, the sensitivity of STs is low, and the role of in vitro testing in the pediatric population is not well defined. Recent studies have demonstrated the safety of direct DPT without prior ST or serum tests for pediatric patients who report a low-risk reaction to BLs, which is cost-effective. However, there is still a debate on the optimal allergic workup to be performed in children with a benign immediate reaction and the management of children with severe cutaneous adverse drug reactions. In this review, we will discuss the impact of the label of BL allergy and the role of the different tools currently available to efficiently address BL allergy delabeling in children.

Improving the Documentation of Penicillin Allergy Labels Among Pediatric Inpatients

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Penicillin allergy is the most common medication allergy, and the penicillin allergy label is commonly over-applied without adequate reaction history inquiry or documentation. Because penicillin allergy labels are often applied in childhood and carried into adulthood, we sought to increase the completeness of reaction history documentation from 20% to 70% for pediatric hospital medicine patients and from 20% to 50% for all other pediatric inpatients within 12 months. As a secondary outcome, we also aimed to increase the proportion of delabeling unnecessary penicillin labels to 20% for all pediatric inpatients.

METHODS

To address our aims, our quality improvement initiative included education for pediatric faculty and staff, development and implementation of a clinical pathway for allergy risk stratification, and electronic health record optimizations. Statistical process control charts were used to track the impact of the interventions facilitated by an automated dashboard.

RESULTS

Within 12 months of interventions, the completeness of allergy labels improved from 20% to 64% among patients admitted to the pediatric hospital medicine service and improved from 20% to 45% for all other pediatric inpatients. The frequency of penicillin allergy delabeling remained unchanged; however, 98 patients were risk stratified and 34 received outpatient allergy referrals for further testing. The number of adverse drug reactions to penicillin, a balancing measure, did not change during the study period.

CONCLUSIONS

We increased the completeness of penicillin allergy documentation using a standardized workflow facilitated by a multidisciplinary clinical pathway. With ongoing efforts, more penicillin delabeling in low-risk patients is anticipated.

The state and consideration for skin test of β-lactam antibiotics in pediatrics

β-lactam antibiotics are the most frequently used drugs and the most common drugs that cause allergic reactions in pediatrics. The occurrence of some allergic reactions can be predicted by skin testing, especially severe adverse reactions such as anaphylactic shock. Thus, penicillin and cephalosporin skin tests are widely used to predict allergic reactions before medication in pediatrics. However, false-positive results from skin tests were more often encountered in pediatrics than in adults. In fact, many children labeled as allergic to β-lactam are not allergic to the antibiotic, leading to the use of alternative antibiotics, which are less effective and more toxic, and the increase of antibiotic resistance. There has been controversy over whether β-lactam antibiotics should be tested for skin allergies before application in children. Based on the great controversy in the implementation of β-lactam antibiotic skin tests, especially the controversial cephalosporin skin tests in pediatrics, the mechanism and reasons of anaphylaxis to β-lactam antibiotics, the significance of β-lactam antibiotic skin tests, the current state of β-lactam antibiotic skin tests at home and abroad, and the problems of domestic and international skin tests were analyzed to determine a unified standard of β-lactam antibiotic skin tests in pediatrics to prevent and decrease adverse drug reactions, avoid waste of drugs, and a large amount of manpower and material resource consumption.

Pearls for practice from the 2022 joint task force drug allergy practice parameter

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To review updated recommendations in the 2022 Drug Allergy Practice Parameters for the evaluation and management of drug hypersensitivity reactions.

RECENT FINDINGS

Adverse drug reactions have become increasingly prominent with the advent of new and emerging pharmacologic therapies. Hypersensitivity reactions encompass a significant proportion of adverse drug reactions and negatively impact both the individual patient and overall health system. Reactions are heterogeneous in presentation and may be immediate (onset of symptoms ≤6 h) or delayed (onset of symptoms >6 h to months) after drug exposure. The 2022 Drug Allergy Practice Parameter provides consensus-based statements for evaluation of hypersensitivity reactions to antibiotics, NSAIDs, cancer chemotherapies, immune checkpoint inhibitors, biologics, and excipients. In general, the guideline highlights the importance of patient history in elucidating the phenotype and severity of the index reaction. Drug challenge remains the gold standard for diagnosis and is increasingly favored over skin testing in patients with nonsevere, nonanaphylactic drug reaction histories.

SUMMARY

The 2022 Drug Allergy Practice Parameter provides an updated framework for physicians to reference in clinical practice when managing patients with drug hypersensitivity reactions.

[Diagnostics of drug allergies and intolerances]

The prevalence of hypersensitivity reactions to drugs is increasing. Currently, this affects more than 7% of the world population. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) and beta-lactam antibiotics (BLA) are by far the most common pharmaceutical preparations involved in hypersensitivity reactions to drugs. Misdiagnoses are frequent and BLA allergies present a danger that can lead to adverse health outcomes. Therefore, delabeling (exclusion of a suspected diagnosis) is paramount for those affected. Following the occurrence of uncomplicated maculopapular exanthemas, outpatient oral drug provocation can be safely considered in children without prior skin tests. Immediate perioperative reactions are rare. The approach to studying these complex reactions requires collaboration between allergologists and anesthesiologists to provide the best possible care for these patients.

Penicillin allergy delabeling: Opportunities for implementation and dissemination

Although existing as a safety measure to prevent iatrogenic harm, unconfirmed penicillin allergy labels have a negative impact on personal and public health. One downstream effect of unconfirmed penicillin allergy is the continued emergence and transmission of resistant bacteria and their associated health care costs. Recognizing the consequences of inaccurate penicillin allergy labels, professional and public health organizations have started promoting the adoption of proactive penicillin allergy evaluations, with the ultimate goal of removing the penicillin allergy label when the allergy is disproved, also known as penicillin allergy "delabeling." A penicillin allergy evaluation includes a comprehensive allergy history often followed by drug challenge, sometimes with preceding skin testing. Currently, penicillin allergy delabeling is largely carried out by allergy specialists in outpatient settings. Penicillin allergy delabeling is performed on inpatients, albeit rarely, often at the time of need, as a point-of-care procedure. Access to penicillin allergy evaluation services is limited. Recent studies demonstrate the feasibility of expanding penicillin allergy evaluations and delabeling to internists, pediatricians, emergency medicine physicians, infectious diseases specialists, and clinical pharmacists. However, reducing the impact of mislabeled penicillin allergy will require comprehensive efforts and new investments. In this review, we summarize the current practices of penicillin allergy delabeling and discuss expansion opportunities for penicillin allergy delabeling as quality improvement.

Administration of β-lactam antibiotics to patients with reported penicillin allergy in the emergency department

BACKGROUND

β-lactam antibiotics are amongst the most commonly prescribed medications in the Emergency Department (ED) due to their role in empiric sepsis therapy; however, inferior therapeutic options are often utilized due to a reported allergy; penicillin (PCN) being most frequent. In the United States, 10% of the population endorses an allergic reaction to PCN while <1% experience IgE-mediated reactions. This study aimed to evaluate the frequency and outcome of patients in the ED whose PCN allergies were challenged with β-lactam antibiotics.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients in the ED at an academic medical center aged ≥18, and who received a β-lactam despite a reported PCN allergy between January 2015 and December 2019. Patients who did not receive a β-lactam or did not report a PCN allergy prior to administration were excluded. The primary outcome was the frequency of IgE-mediated reactions in response to β-lactam administration. A secondary outcome assessed the frequency of continuation of β-lactams upon admission from the ED.

RESULTS

819 patients were included (66% female) with prior reported PCN reactions: hives (22.5%), rash (15.4%), swelling (6.2%), anaphylaxis (3.5%), other (12.1%), or undocumented on medical electronic record (40.3%). No patients experienced an IgE-mediated reaction to the β-lactam administered in the ED. Previously reported allergies had no effect on the continuation of β-lactams when admitted or discharged (OR: 1, 95% CI: 0.7-1.44). Patients who had a history of an IgE-mediated penicillin allergy were frequently continued (77%) on a β-lactam after leaving the ED via admission or discharge.

CONCLUSION

β-lactam administration in patients with previously reported PCN allergies did not result in any IgE-mediated reactions nor in an increase in adverse reactions. Our data contributes to the body of evidence that supports the administration of β-lactams to patients with documented PCN allergies.

Impact of penicillin allergy labels among pneumonia admissions at an academic children's center

Background: Pneumonia is the most common reason for pediatric hospitalizations. The impact of penicillin allergy labels among children with pneumonia has not been well studied. Objective: This study assessed the prevalence and impact of penicillin allergy labels among children admitted with pneumonia over a 3-year period at a large academic children's center. Methods: Inpatient charts of pneumonia admissions with a documented allergy to a type of penicillin from January to March in 2017, 2018, and 2019 were reviewed and compared with pneumonia admissions without the label over the same time with regard to days of antimicrobial treatment, route of antimicrobial therapy, and days of hospitalization. Results: There were 470 admissions for pneumonia during this time period, of which 48 patients (10.2%) carried a penicillin allergy label. Hives and/or swelling comprised 20.8% of the allergy labels. Other labels included nonpruritic rashes, gastrointestinal GI symptoms, unknown/undocumented reactions, or other reasons. There were no significant differences between those with a penicillin allergy label to those without regarding days of antimicrobial treatment (inpatient and outpatient), route of antimicrobial therapy, and days of hospitalization. Those with a penicillin allergy label were less likely to be prescribed a penicillin product (p < 0.002). Of the 48 patients who were allergy labeled, 23% (11/48) were given a penicillin medication without adverse reaction. Conclusion: Ten percent of pediatric admissions for pneumonia had a label of penicillin allergy, similar to the overall population. The hospital course and clinical outcome were not significantly affected by the penicillin allergy label. The majority of documented reactions were of low risk for immediate allergic reactions.

Beta-Lactam Allergy Association with Surgical Site Infections in Pediatric Procedures: A Matched Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Little is known about surgical site infection (SSI) risk among pediatric patients with reported beta-lactam allergy (BLA).

METHODS

We performed a retrospective cohort study at a quaternary children's hospital and compared procedures in patients ages 1-19-years-old with and without BLA that required antimicrobial prophylaxis (AMP) during 2010-2017. Procedures were matched 1:1 by patient age, complex chronic conditions, year of surgery, and National Surgical Quality Improvement Program current procedural terminology category. The primary outcome was SSI as defined by National Healthcare Safety Network. The secondary outcome was AMP protocol compliance as per American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

RESULTS

Of the 11,878 procedures identified, 1021 (9%) had a reported BLA. There were 35 (1.8%) SSIs in the matched cohort of 1944 procedures with no significant difference in SSI rates in BLA procedures (1.8%) compared to no BLA (1.9%) procedures. Tier 3 AMP was chosen more frequently among BLA procedures (p<0.01). Unmatched analysis of all procedures showed that 23.7% of BLA procedures received beta-lactam-AMP (vs. 93.7% of procedures without BLA). There were no major differences in SSI on sensitivity analysis of BLA procedures that did not receive beta-lactam AMP (1.4%) compared to no BLA procedures with beta-lactam AMP (1.6%) .

CONCLUSIONS

Our retrospective matched analysis of 1944 pediatric procedures found no increase in SSIs in procedures with reported BLA, which differs from studies in adults. We observed that choice of beta-lactam-AMP was common, even in BLA procedures. More data are needed to delineate an association of non-beta-lactam AMP and SSI in children.

Parent-reported penicillin allergies in children: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Penicillin allergies are commonly reported in children. Most reported penicillin allergies are false, resulting in the unnecessary selection of alternative antibiotic treatments that promote antibiotic resistance. While formal allergy testing is encouraged to establish a diagnosis of penicillin allergy, children are rarely referred for allergy testing, and study of parents' experiences and perceptions of their child's reported penicillin allergy is limited. We aimed to describe parents' experiences and perceptions of their child's penicillin allergy and attitudes towards penicillin allergy testing to identify opportunities to engage parents in antimicrobial stewardship efforts.

METHODS

This was a qualitative descriptive study.

RESULTS

Eighteen parents participated in this study. Parents' children were on average 2 years old when the index reaction occurred, and 7 years had passed since the reaction. Transcripts revealed that participants were receptive to penicillin allergy testing for their child after learning the consequences of penicillin allergy and availability of allergy testing. Four major themes emerged from data (1) parents' making sense of allergy; (2) parents' impressions of allergy label, (3) parents' attitudes towards allergy testing, and (4) parents' desire to be informed of testing availability.

CONCLUSIONS

Efforts are needed to engage parents in addressing spuriously reported penicillin allergies.

[Efficiency of the allergological study in the diagnosis of allergic reactions to beta-lactams]

AIMS

Assessing the rate of β-lactams-allergic patients who are still labelled as such in their medical records after being performed an allergic test; as well as the rate of no allergic patients who were prescribed one of these antibiotics; and pondering whether the allergic test is hence cost-effective.

METHODS

This is a retrospective study developed from 2019 to 2021 focusing on patients suspected of β-lactams allergy (n=688). By means of an allergy test, it was cleared out if they were actually allergic. Later, we checked if the patient was still labelled as allergic in their medical record. Tracking through the digital health services card, we followed up if the antibiotic was ever prescribed again, and if the drug was then dispensed to the patient.

RESULTS

11.3% of the patients showed hypersensitivity to β-lactams. Nonetheless, 33.1% of the patients were still considered allergic to these antibiotics in their medical record even though not being such. 32% of the patients - who had their allergy confirmed - had been labelled without the general practitioner's acknowledgment, and 32.8% had even been prescribed a β-lactam again.

CONCLUSIONS

Discarding any allergy to β-lactams is as important as registering the allergy on medical records after testing the patient. A remarkable quantity of non-allergic patients is still addressed as actual allergic, in spite not being such. Labelling patients as β-lactams allergic may have consequences, short-term and long-term, for the patient but also for the health service budget.

Predictors of Acute Care Reutilization in Pediatric Patients With Amoxicillin-Associated Reactions

BACKGROUND

Amoxicillin-associated reactions (AARs) contribute to substantial health care utilization, with a reutilization rate of 10% in pediatric emergency department (ED) and urgent care (UC) settings.

OBJECTIVE

To identify predictors of ED/UC reutilization by examining patients' clinical features and providers' management of AARs.

METHODS

Through a retrospective chart review of 668 patients presenting with AARs over 2 years to the pediatric ED/UC, we examined clinical features associated with ED/UC reutilization, including rash phenotype, systemic symptoms (fever, angioedema, joint involvement, gastrointestinal symptoms), and providers' management (pharmacologic treatment and counseling). We then constructed a statistical model to predict ED/UC reutilization using stepwise backward model selection.

RESULTS

ED/UC reutilizers were more likely to be male (P = .008) and have fever (P = .0001), angioedema (P < .0001), joint involvement (P < .0001), and gastrointestinal symptoms (P = .0001) during their AAR course. Rash phenotypes differed between groups (P < .0001), as ED/UC reutilizers more frequently exhibited urticaria. However, there were no differences in clinical management between groups, including pharmacologic recommendations, at the initial ED/UC encounter. In addition, our statistical model identified younger patients <2 years of age as more likely to reutilize ED/UC resources if providers did not document specific return precautions (odds ratio, 3.6; 95% confidence interval, 1.7-7.7).

CONCLUSION

Recognition of clinical features and treatment gaps associated with ED/UC reutilization will guide interventions to optimize care in children presenting with AARs, such as improved anticipatory guidance and early allergy consultation. Prospective studies are needed to determine whether these interventions will reduce ED/UC reutilization and facilitate timely allergy testing.

Quality Improvement to Engage General Pediatrics in Reducing Inaccurate Penicillin Allergy Labels

OBJECTIVE

To remove inaccurate penicillin allergy labels in the general pediatric clinic setting.

METHODS

From October 2017 through December 2021, this collaborative, quality improvement project used education, feedback, electronic health record alerts, and the introduction of oral amoxicillin challenges in a general pediatric clinic setting with the primary aim of decreasing the proportion of penicillin allergy labeled patients. Control charts were used to track the relationship between interventions and improvements in referral rates to allergy clinic, removal of the allergy label at clinic visits and the overall proportion of clinic patients labeled as PCN allergic.

RESULTS

Referral rates to allergy clinic for penicillin allergy labeled patients increased from a baseline mean of 1.9% to 20.4%. The proportion of PCN allergy labeled patients who had the label removed during a pediatric clinic visit increased from a baseline of 1.1% to 6.6%. The overall proportion of penicillin allergy labeled clinic patients decreased from a baseline of 3.4% to 2.2%.

CONCLUSION

With adequate education and collaboration with allergists, general pediatric practitioners can play a significant role in removing inaccurate penicillin allergy labels. Pediatricians can remove some of the burden placed on allergists by evaluating low risk patients in the primary care setting while referring higher risk patients to the specialist.

Association of Sociodemographic Factors With Reported Penicillin Allergy in Pediatric Inpatients

OBJECTIVES

Characterize the association of sociodemographic factors with reported penicillin allergy in pediatric inpatients.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of pediatric inpatients admitted to general pediatric units at an academic medical center with reported penicillin allergy and reaction history. Sociodemographic factors evaluated were gender, age, race, ethnicity, language, and insurance payer. We conducted univariable and multivariable logistic regression models to evaluate associations between demographic variables and penicillin allergy.

RESULTS

Of 3890 pediatric inpatients, 299 (7.7%) had a reported penicillin allergy. The majority of documented reaction histories were hives, rash, or unknown. In univariable analysis, odds of penicillin allergy were lower in patients who identify as Black and who prefer a language other than English, and higher in patients of non-Hispanic/Latino ethnicity, those with private insurance, and with increasing age. In multivariable logistic regression, only Black race (adjusted odds ratio 0.42, 95% confidence interval CI 0.30-0.59) and young age were significantly associated with lower odds of penicillin allergy.

CONCLUSIONS

After adjustment for covariates, Black race was associated with lower odds of reported penicillin allergy in hospitalized children. Penicillin allergy reporting may be an indicator of racial differences in the prescribing of antimicrobial agents, patient-clinician communication, and access to health care.

Mixed-methods evaluation of a behavioural intervention package to identify and amend incorrect penicillin allergy records in UK general practice

OBJECTIVES

About 6% of the UK general practice population has a record of a penicillin allergy but fewer than 10% of these are likely to be truly allergic. In the ALABAMA (Allergy Antibiotics and Microbial resistance) feasibility trial, primary care patients with penicillin allergy were randomised to penicillin allergy assessment pathway or usual care to assess the effect on health outcomes. A behavioural intervention package was developed to aid delabelling. This study aimed to investigate patients' and clinicians' views of penicillin allergy testing (PAT).

DESIGN

We conducted a mixed-methods process evaluation embedded within the ALABAMA trial, which included a clinician survey, a patient survey (at baseline and follow-up) and semistructured interviews with patients and clinicians.

SETTINGS

The study was conducted in primary care, as part of the feasibility stage of the ALABAMA trial.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients and primary care clinicians.

RESULTS

Clinicians (N=53; 52.2%) were positive about PAT and its potential value but did not have previous experience of referring patients for a PAT and were unsure whether patients would take penicillin after a negative allergy test. Patients (N=36; 46%) were unsure whether they were severely allergic to penicillin and did not fear a severe allergic reaction to penicillin. Clinician interviews showed that they were already aware of the benefit of PAT. Interviews with patients suggested the importance of safety as patients valued having numerous opportunities to address their concerns about safety of the test.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the positive effects of the ALABAMA behavioural intervention for both patients and clinicians.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT04108637; ISRCTN20579216; Pre-results.

Standards for practical intravenous rapid drug desensitization & delabeling: A WAO committee statement

Drug hypersensitivity reactions (DHRs) to intravenous drugs can be severe and might leave patients and doctors in a difficult position where an essential treatment or intervention has to be suspended. Even if virtually any intravenous medication can potentially trigger a life-threatening DHR, chemotherapeutics, biologics, and antibiotics are amongst the intravenous drugs most frequently involved in these reactions. Admittedly, suspending such treatments may negatively impact the survival outcomes or the quality of life of affected patients. Delabeling pathways and rapid drug desensitization (RDD) can help reactive patients stay on first-choice therapies instead of turning to less efficacious, less cost-effective, or more toxic alternatives. However, these are high-complexity and high-risk techniques, which usually need expert teams and allergy-specific techniques (skin testing, in vitro testing, drug provocation testing) to ensure safety, an accurate diagnosis, and personalized management. Unfortunately, there are significant inequalities within and among countries in access to allergy departments with the necessary expertise and resources to offer these techniques and tackle these DHRs optimally. The main objective of this consensus document is to create a great benefit for patients worldwide by aiding allergists to expand the scope of their practice and support them with evidence, data, and experience from leading groups from around the globe. This statement of the Drug Hypersensitivity Committee of the World Allergy Organization (WAO) aims to be a comprehensive practical guide on the technical aspects of implementing acute-onset intravenous hypersensitivity delabeling and RDD for a wide range of drugs. Thus, the manuscript does not only focus on clinical pathways. Instead, it also provides guidance on topics usually left unaddressed, namely, internal validation, continuous quality improvement, creating a healthy multidisciplinary environment, and redesigning care (including a specific supplemental section on a real-life example of how to design a dedicated space that can combine basic and complex diagnostic and therapeutic techniques in allergy).

Antibiotic oral provocation challenge in children

AIM

The main objective of this study was to see how many of the children, with a suspected antibiotic allergy, developed an allergic or adverse reaction to a drug provocation test.

METHODS

Data on children that had undergone a drug provocation test for a suspected antibiotic allergy were compiled retrospectively for the period from 2007-2018. The median age at the first provocation was 2.25 years (1.5-5.7). Standardised questionnaires, the children's parents had answered before the provocation, were used to evaluate the originally suspected allergic reaction, previous health, atopic diseases and family history.

RESULTS

Ninety-two (6.4%) of the 1440 children showed a possible mild allergic reaction. Sixty-four of the 92 children underwent a second drug provocation test 1-2 years later. At that time, only eleven developed a positive- or a possible-delayed reaction.

CONCLUSION

An immediate moderate or severe allergic reaction was excluded in all cases of suspected antibiotic allergy in this study. Our study indicates that an oral drug provocation test is safe. It may be appropriate to wait for 6 months or more after the initial event of ADR before these tests are performed. A second oral provocation 1-2 years after the first one shows that ADRs are outgrown in most children.

Factors Associated With Penicillin Allergy Labels in Electronic Health Records of Children in 2 Large US Pediatric Primary Care Networks

Importance

Penicillin allergy labels influence clinical decision-making, yet most children who are labeled do not have type 1 hypersensitivity allergic reactions and instead have a history of predictable adverse reactions or unspecified illness symptoms while receiving penicillin for viral infections. Studies describing penicillin allergy labeling in the pediatric outpatient setting are lacking.

Objective

To describe the epidemiology and factors associated with penicillin allergy labels across 2 large US pediatric primary care networks.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This retrospective, longitudinal birth cohort study was conducted in 90 primary care pediatric practices serving a diverse population of children across Houston, Texas, Austin, Texas, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and parts of New Jersey. Participants were children born between January 2010 and June 2020 who had a health care visit in the first 14 days of life and at least 2 additional visits in the first year of life at one of 90 primary care pediatric practices. Censoring criteria were additionally applied to exclude data from children no longer seeking health care in the 90 clinics over time. Statistical analysis was performed from February to May 2021.

Exposures

Basic patient demographics, health care utilization, penicillin exposure, and primary clinic location.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Addition of penicillin allergy label in the electronic medical record.

Results

Among 334 465 children in the birth cohort, 164 173 (49.1%) were female; 72 831 (21.8%) were Hispanic, 59 598 (17.8%) were non-Hispanic Black, and 148 534 (44.4%) were non-Hispanic White; the median (IQR) age at censoring was 3.8 (1.7-6.6) years; 18 015 (5.4%) were labeled as penicillin allergic, but the prevalence of penicillin allergy labeling ranged from 0.9% to 10.2% across practices. Children were labeled at a median (IQR) age of 1.3 (0.9-2.3) years. Non-Hispanic White children were more likely to be labeled compared with non-Hispanic Black children after controlling for potential confounders (adjusted odds ratio, 1.7 [95% CI, 1.6-1.8]). There were 6797 allergic children (37.7%) labeled after receiving 1 penicillin prescription and 1423 (7.9%) labeled after receiving 0 penicillin prescriptions.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cohort study of more than 330 000 children, penicillin allergy labeling was common and varied widely across practices. Children were labeled early in life, and almost half were labeled after receiving 1 or 0 penicillin prescriptions. These findings raise questions regarding the validity of penicillin allergy labels. Future work exploring the fidelity of and outcomes associated with penicillin allergy-labeling in children is warranted.

New diagnostıc perspectives in the management of pediatrıc beta-lactam allergy

Since overdiagnosis of beta-lactam (BL) allergy is common in the pediatric population, delabeling is a critical part of antimicrobial stewardship. Undesirable consequences of inaccurate BL allergy labeling can be handled by incorporating traditional delabeling or newer risk-based strategies into antibiotic stewardship programs. Conventional assessment of BL allergy relies upon a stepwise algorithm including a clinical history with skin testing followed by drug provocation tests (DPTs). However, a growing number of studies highlighted the suboptimal diagnostic value of skin testing in children. Recently, there has been a paradigm shift in the practice of BL allergy assessment due to recent challenging data which emphasize the safety and accuracy of direct DPTs in children with a suspicion of non-immediate mild cutaneous reactions such as maculopapular eruption, delayed urticaria, and possibly also for benign immediate reactions such as urticaria/angioedema. Identifying low-risk BL allergy patients, in whom skin tests can be skipped and proceeding directly to DPTs could be safe, has become a hot topic in recent years. New risk stratification and predictive modeling studies that have the potential to better predict BL allergy risk status have recently been introduced into the field of drug allergy, particularly in adults. However, in contrast to adults, risk assessment studies in children are rare, and optimal risk definitions are controversial. In the coming years, promising potential methods to elucidate the predictors of BL allergy in children will require multidimensional approaches that may include predictive analytics, artificial intelligence techniques, and point-of-care clinical decision tools.

ESCAPE-Allergy: Evaluating screening for children and adolescents with penicillin allergy

AIM

Penicillin allergy labels are frequently encountered in children and are associated with significant harms. Most children are falsely labelled and can safely tolerate a penicillin but delabelling strategies are underutilised and paediatric-specific resources are lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate an allergy assessment tool for children in hospital.

METHODS

We evaluated a paediatric-adapted penicillin allergy assessment tool, using an online survey of clinicians in a tertiary paediatric hospital, with 10 hypothetical potential penicillin allergy or adverse reaction cases (including non-allergy reactions). For each case, respondents were asked to use the tool to assign a reaction phenotype and recommend management. We determined the tool's sensitivity, specificity and acceptability to end users.

RESULTS

We evaluated 30 complete survey responses from senior and junior medical staff, nurses and pharmacists. The tool's overall sensitivity was 80.7% (95% confidence interval (CI) 74.2-87.1%) for assigning the correct reaction phenotype and 85.3% (95% CI 79.4-91.3%) for appropriate management. The tool had high sensitivity for identifying immediate hypersensitivity reactions at 95.6% (95% CI 90.2-100%). Most respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they would use the tool in their practice (22/30, 73.3%).

CONCLUSION

This survey evaluated a paediatric-adapted penicillin allergy assessment tool in a tertiary paediatric hospital among multidisciplinary clinician groups. The tool performed well overall and had high safety in identifying immediate hypersensitivity reactions. Further research to support implementation of allergy assessment and delabelling programmes among children is required.

Type B adverse drug reactions to antibiotics and antibiotic allergy in infants and children

BACKGROUND

Distinguishing allergic reactions from non-allergic type B adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to antibiotics is challenging, particularly in children, because we lack epidemiological information that can be used in primary care situations. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of type B ADRs to antibiotics and antibiotic allergy (AA) in previously healthy children.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study of previously healthy children admitted for treating urinary tract infections over a 10 year period. The primary outcome was the frequency of type B ADRs and AAs that were assessed by pediatricians. Secondary outcomes include demographic data about patients' backgrounds, infections, treatments, ADRs, and action against ADRs. All the data were collected via patients' medical records.

RESULTS

Out of 791 participants, type B ADRs were reported in 77 children (9.7%), and AA labeling was performed in six children (0.8%). Physicians assessed 30.4% of type B ADRs as severe or life-threatening symptoms. All patients were discharged without long-term complications. Physicians detected the primary cause (individual patient host factors or environmental risks) in 39 cases of type B ADRs.

CONCLUSION

Type B ADRs to antibiotics were frequently reported even in previously healthy children. Physicians should use appropriate techniques (e.g., specialist consulting and skin testing) when they suspect that a type B ADR might be an AA. Labeling and de-labeling programs and tools for type B ADRs related to antibiotics should be implemented to prevent the mislabeling of AA.

Impact analysis of expanding narrow-spectrum antibiotic use for children with ear, sinus and throat infections

Aim: Estimate the impacts treating acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) in children aged 6 months through 12 years with narrow-spectrum antibiotics. Materials & methods: Decision-tree model to estimate children's health, healthcare utilization and costs, and caregiver's time and costs for using narrow-spectrum antibiotics in eligible children with an ARTI, compared with current use of narrow- and broad-spectrum antibiotics. Results: Reduced adverse drug reactions by 35,750 (14%) cases) and 4750 (12%) fewer emergency department visits, 300 (12%) fewer hospitalizations, and 50,500 (10%) avoided outpatient visits. Annual healthcare costs fell by US$120 million (22%). Total societal costs declined by US$131 million (20%). Conclusion: National implementation of narrow-spectrum antibiotics to treat ARTIs in children improves patient outcomes and reduces caregiver burden and annual healthcare costs.

Immediate and Delayed Hypersensitivity Reactions to Beta-Lactam Antibiotics

Beta-lactam antibiotics are the most commonly reported drug allergy in adults and children. More than 95% of those with reported allergy labels to beta lactams are not confirmed when subjected to allergy testing. Beta lactam antibiotics are associated with a wide spectrum of immediate and delayed drug hypersensitivity reactions. The latency period to symptoms and clinical presentation aids in the causality assessment. Risk stratification based on diagnosis and timing then allows for appropriate management and evaluation. Skin prick testing, intradermal testing and oral challenge are well established for evaluation of immediate reactions. Delayed intradermal testing, patch testing and oral challenge can also be considered for evaluation of mild to moderate delayed reactions. Cross-reactivity between beta-lactams appears to be driven most commonly by a shared R1 side-chain. Standardized algorithms, protocols and pathways are needed for widespread implementation of a pragmatic and effective approach to patients reporting beta lactam allergy.

Impact of Antibiotic Allergy Labels on Patient Outcomes in a Tertiary Paediatric Hospital

OBJECTIVES

Antibiotic allergies are reported in 5 to 15% of children. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of common β-lactam antibiotic allergy labels (AALs) on hospital treatment, focussing on length of stay and appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study over 21-months at the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, Australia. A subset of children with the most common β-lactam allergies, and who required admission for intravenous antibiotics over a 12-month period, was analysed for appropriateness of prescribing. Non-allergic patients were matched to evaluate associations between AALs and hospital treatment.

RESULTS

There were 98,912 children admitted over the study period, of whom 938 (1%) had at least one AAL on first admission. Of all encounters, 5145 (2.5%) were for children with AALs. The most common AALs were to amoxicillin and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid combinations (40.8%), cefalexin (14.4%) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (9.7%). For the subset, there were 66 admissions for children who required intravenous antibiotics. Documentation was adequate for 27% of AALs. Inappropriate prescribing occurred in almost half (47%). Hospital stay was longer for children with AALs (median 4.7 days; IQR 2.3 to 9.2) compared to non-allergic controls (median 3.9 days; IQR 1.9 to 6.8; P=0.02). Children with AALs were more likely to receive restricted antibiotics (aOR 3.03; 95%CI, 1.45 to 6.30; p=0.003).

CONCLUSION

This is the first study to demonstrate high rates of inappropriate prescribing in children with AALs. Children with AALs were significantly more likely to receive restricted antibiotics and had a longer length of stay compared with non-allergic controls.

Penicillin Allergy Delabeling: A Multidisciplinary Opportunity

The penicillin allergy label has been consistently linked with deleterious effects that span the health care spectrum, including suboptimal clinical outcomes, the emergence of bacterial resistance, and increased health care expenditures. These risks have recently motivated professional organizations and public health institutes to advocate for the implementation of penicillin allergy delabeling initiatives; however, the burden of delabeling millions of patients is too expansive for any one discipline to bear alone. This review presents the unique perspectives and roles of various stakeholder groups involved in penicillin allergy diagnosis, assessment, and delabeling; we emphasize opportunities, barriers, and promising areas of innovation. We summarize penicillin allergy methods and tools that have proven successful in delabeling efforts. A multidisciplinary approach to delabeling patients with reported penicillin allergy, bolstered by evidence-based clinical practices, is recommended to reduce the risks that associate with the penicillin allergy label.

Taking a Rational Approach to a Reported Antibiotic Allergy

Up to 10% of hospitalized patients have an antibiotic allergy label in their medical file, most frequently concerning penicillins. However, the vast majority of reported allergies to antibiotics does not represent a "true" allergy but are due to drug intolerance, idiosyncratic reactions or symptoms of the concurrent infectious disease. Since antibiotic allergy labels result in deviation from first-choice antimicrobial therapy, tackling the issue of incorrect antibiotic allergy labelling, already at young age, is a core element of antibiotic stewardship. In this article, we describe the structured approach to the patient with a presumed antibiotic allergy with emphasis on key elements of allergy-specific history taking and the limited risk of cross-allergic reactions between beta-lactam subclasses.

Unconfirmed penicillin allergy labels in the paediatric outpatient setting: A call for research and quality improvement initiatives

Over the last 10 years, the electronic medical record has redefined medical documentation, and physicians rely on accurate records to make clinical decisions. Penicillin allergy labels (PALs) are important pieces of the medical history that guide physicians in selecting specific antibiotic classes for the treatment of infectious diseases. However, most children labelled as penicillin-allergic do not have an IgE-mediated (immediate) allergic reaction to penicillin or its derivatives. In the absence of confirmatory penicillin allergy testing or additional history, these children receive alternative, often broad-spectrum and second-line, antibiotics. Addressing unconfirmed PALs requires an understanding of how and why labels get added to the electronic medical record. This viewpoint highlights the knowledge gaps in paediatric outpatient penicillin allergy labelling and proposes an acronym ('LABEL') that primary care providers and antimicrobial stewards can utilise when designing initiatives to address unconfirmed PALs in the community.

Model Based Evaluation of Hypersensitivity Adverse Drug Reactions to Antimicrobial Agents in Children

Drug use in children is-in most cases-supported by extrapolation of data generated from clinical trials in adult populations. This puts children at higher risk of developing adverse drug reactions (ADRs) due to "off-label" use of drugs and dosing issues. Major types of ADRs are drug hypersensitivity reactions, an idiosyncratic type of ADRs that are largely unpredictable and can cause high morbidity and mortality in a hard-to-identify specific population of patients. Lack of a complete understanding of the pathophysiology of DHRs and their unpredictive nature make them problematic in clinical practice and in drug development. In addition, ethical and legal obstacles hinder conducting large clinical trials in children, which in turn make children a "therapeutic orphan" where clear clinical guidelines are lacking, and practice is based largely on the personal experience of the clinician, hence making modeling desirable. This brief review summarizes the current knowledge of model-based evaluation of diagnosis and management of drug hypersensitivity reactions (DHRs) to antimicrobial drugs in the pediatric population. Ethical and legal aspects of drug research in children and the effect of different stages of child development and other factors on the risk of DHRs are discussed. The role of animal models, in vitro models and oral provocation test in management of DHRs are examined in the context of the current understanding of the pathophysiology of DHRs. Finally, recent changes in drug development legislations have been put forward to encourage drug developers to conduct trials in children clearly indicate the urgent need for evidence to support drug safety in children and for modeling to guide these clinical trials.

It's a rash: Antibiotic allergies in the modern era of antibiotic stewardship

OBJECTIVES

To determine whether current guidelines emphasizing antibiotic stewardship in pediatrics have been associated with reduced prevalence of antibiotic allergies in children severely affected by otitis media undergoing bilateral myringotomy with tympanostomy tube insertion (BMT) or by recurrent sinusitis or adenotonsillitis undergoing adenoidectomy with or without tonsillectomy.

METHODS

Case series of consecutive patients undergoing BMT or adenoidectomy with/without tonsillectomy for recurrent acute otitis media, recurrent sinusitis, or recurrent tonsillitis during November 2008 or November 2017 at a tertiary care children's hospital. Children with primarily obstructive indications for surgery, with prior tube placement or adenoidectomy, or with surgery by an outside provider were excluded. Demographics, type of surgery, and allergies or allergic symptoms were collected from the electronic medical record. Factors associated with antibiotic allergies were compared using logistic regression, Wilcoxon rank-sum, or Chi-squared test.

RESULTS

Seventy-five children who underwent surgery during 2008 and 75 children who underwent surgery in 2017 were included. Overall, median age at surgery was 3.24 years (range 0.56-17.49 years). Seventy-nine (52.7%) patients were female and 95 (63.3%) had private insurance. BMT was the most common surgery (82 children, 54.7%) followed by tonsillectomy with adenoidectomy (46 children, 30.7%), and adenoidectomy without tonsillectomy (39 children, 26.0%). Symptoms of allergic rhinitis were reported by 53 (35.3%) patients, and 11 (7.3%) and 5 (3.3%) had positive environmental and food allergy testing, respectively. Surprisingly, there was not a significant difference between the prevalence of antibiotic allergies in patients undergoing surgery during 2017 (17 patients, 22.7%) compared with 2008 (14 patients, 18.7%) (OR: 1.28, 95% CI: 0.578-2.82, p = 0.546). However, antibiotic allergies were less common in females (OR: 0.413, 95% CI: 0.182-0.937, p = 0.034) and more common in patients with a family history of antibiotic allergies (OR: 36.9, 95% CI: 5.12-∞, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Pediatric otolaryngology surgical patients continue to exhibit a similar and high prevalence of antibiotic allergies in 2017 compared with 2008. Future studies are needed to determine whether this is because of overdiagnosis of antibiotic allergies or a failure of antibiotic guideline adherence to reduce antibiotic allergy prevalence.

Outcome of drug provocation testing in children with suspected beta-lactam hypersensitivity

Background

Suspicion of beta-lactam (BL) hypersensitivity is often based on parental report. Evaluation is important as incorrect labelling has clinical consequence.

Objective

To describe the outcomes of drug provocation test (DPT) in children with suspected hypersensitivity.

Methods

A retrospective study of patients who completed BL DPT from 1 August 2016 to 31 December 2017 at a paediatric allergy centre in Singapore. Suspected hypersensitivity reactions were classified as immediate (onset ≤1 hour) or delayed (onset > 1 hour). Patients with immediate reactions underwent skin prick test (SPT) followed by DPT if SPT was negative. Patients with delayed reactions underwent DPT directly.

Results

We identified 120 children who reported 121 suspected hypersensitivity reactions. The median age at reaction was 2.0 years (interquartile range [IQR], 1.0–5.0 years) and the median age at DPT was 7.4 years (IQR, 4.2–11.1 years). The timing of suspected hypersensitivity reaction was immediate in 21% (25 of 121), delayed in 66% (80 of 121), and uncertain in 13% (16 of 121). Commonly implicated drugs were amoxicillin in 45% (54 of 121), amoxicillin-clavulanate in 37% (45 of 121), and cephalexin in 8% (10 of 121). Commonly reported symptoms were maculopapular rash 44% (53 of 121), urticaria 34% (41 of 121), and angioedema 22% (27 of 121). All SPTs (n = 26) were negative. There were 118 diagnostic DPTs to index drug and 3 DPTs to alternative drug. A negative challenge result was obtained in 93% (110 of 118) of diagnostic DPTs: 92% (96 of 104) and 100% (14 of 14) of DPTs to penicillin group and cephalosporins respectively. All challenge reactions were mild.

Conclusion

Our study supports the opinion that prior skin tests may not be necessary for children who report nonsevere reactions and directly performing diagnostic DPT is a safe approach in the evaluation of suspected childhood BL hypersensitivity.

The use of direct oral challenge to confirm allergies to penicillin class antibiotics in Danish children

Background

A high number of children are referred to pediatric departments with a suspected allergic reaction to antibiotics. The prevalence of true allergy is considered to be significantly lower than shown from clinical history and symptoms alone. This study investigated the historical use of direct oral challenges at three specialist pediatric departments in Denmark.

Methods

In this retrospective medical record review study, 141 children (69 boys and 72 girls) with a clinical history of suspected penicillin class allergy were investigated. A standardized questionnaire for drug allergy was completed in the beginning of the investigation, which also included a skin prick test (SPT), measurement of IgE to different types of penicillin, and a drug challenge (DC).

Results

Only four (2.8%) of the patients referred for further investigation in our study had a positive DC. We found no correlation between a positive DC, positive SPT or elevated specific IgE. None of the patients with a positive DC reacted with a rash alone prior to investigation.

Conclusions

Allergy to penicillin in children is rare and probably overestimated. In children reacting to penicillin with a rash alone, our study indicated that the rash was probably not related to allergy and treatment should thus be continued.

Drug Provocation Tests for Assessing Antibiotic Hypersensitivity: Is Shorter Also Better?

BACKGROUND

Suspected antibiotic hypersensitivity in children is a frequent reason for consultation. Skin test performance and drug provocation test (DPT) duration are controversial issues. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of diagnostic tests used in the study of antibiotic hypersensitivity and to estimate an optimal duration for DPT.

METHODS

Sixty-two children with a suspected hypersensitivity reaction to antibiotics were studied. Skin tests were performed on all patients. In the case of negative results, DPTs were performed for a duration similar to the time elapsed from the start of treatment until the onset of the reaction.

RESULTS

The frequency of antibiotic hypersensitivity in the study population was 8.1% (5 of 62). Only 1 patient showed positive skin tests. The other allergic patients were diagnosed by DPT, which reproduced the reaction within the first 6 hours in all but one of them.

CONCLUSIONS

Shortening DPT duration may decrease the sensitivity of the test for the diagnosis of non-IgE-mediated hypersensitivity; however, it should be considered as an opportunity to reduce the resulting microbial resistances.

Drug Allergy in Children: What Should We Know?

The drug allergy "label" may have a lifetime of consequences for a child. Many children with alleged drug allergies are proven to be tolerant to the culprit medication when challenged. The field of drug hypersensitivity is a recently evolving field of research, but studies on its epidemiology and diagnostic tools are lacking in children. Clinical history is significant in the diagnosis and classification of drug hypersensitivity in children. Diagnostic tools have been evaluated in a limited number of children; therefore, the guidelines are mainly in line with those for adults. Here, we review the clinical characteristics, main drugs, risk factors, and diagnosis of drug hypersensitivity to aid in its accurate diagnosis in children.