Confirmed penicillin allergy among patients receiving benzathine penicillin prophylaxis for acute rheumatic fever

BACKGROUND

Beta-lactam antibiotics are the most frequent drugs prescribed in children worldwide. Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is the major cause of acquired heart disease among children and adolescents. Recurrences due to inadequate penicillin prophylaxis are responsible for chronic valvular lesions requiring surgery. The fear of a severe allergic reaction is the leading cause of discontinuing prophylaxis.

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we aimed to reveal the frequency of adverse events and real allergic reactions to benzathine penicillin among children who are followed in our paediatric cardiology clinic with a diagnosis of ARF.

MATERIALS METHODS

The children who were followed with a diagnosis of ARF between January 2005 and December 2011 were searched for a history of penicillin allergy. Patients with a positive history were evaluated in our paediatric allergy clinic. Skin tests and provocation tests were performed with parental consent.

RESULTS

In total 535 children with a diagnosis of ARF were analysed for the study. Median follow up period was 24 months (12-36) [median (%25-75)]. Eleven of our 535 (11/17.641 injection) ARF patients were suspected to have allergic reactions after 17.641 penicillin injections but only one (0.18%) was diagnosed to have penicillin allergy after detailed evaluation.

CONCLUSION

Our data suggest that the frequency of penicillin allergy is much lower than suspected among children on penicillin prophylaxis for ARF. Consequently, penicillin prophylaxis should not be given up without proper evaluation of drug allergy.

What is the outcome of rheumatic carditis in children with Sydenham's chorea?

We evaluated the echocardiographic features of 69 children diagnosed with Sydenham's chorea at the first attack of acute rheumatic fever. By echocardiography, carditis was detected in 71% of cases and silent carditis was shown in 28.9% of cases at initial presentation. Most patients had mild or moderate valvular regurgitation. Sixty-three cases were followed from 1-10 years. The improvement rate in valvulitis in cases with silent carditis (29.4%) was not different than in cases with clinical carditis (18.5%) (p > 0.05). Persistence of valvular pathologies occurred in 72.2% of cases with carditis in the long-term follow-up (> 2 years). Most patients (88.8%) complied with secondary prophylaxis, so relapse of carditis was exclusively prevented in our patients. Recurrence of chorea was identified in 20.6% of cases and was not associated with clinical or laboratory evidence for streptococcal reinfection. Patients with chorea usually had mild carditis, and carditis showed resolution. Relapse of carditis in our population was exclusively prevented with secondary prophylaxis. Recurrence of chorea was not rare, despite regular treatment with benzathine penicillin.