This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Drug allergy

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI) defines drug allergy as an adverse drug reaction with an established immunological mechanism.

Hospital Episode Statistics from 1996 to 2000 reported that drug allergies and adverse drug reactions accounted for approximately 62,000 hospital admissions in England each year

  • evidence that these reactions are increasing:
    • between 1998 and 2005, serious adverse drug reactions rose 2.6-fold
    • up to 15% of inpatients have their hospital stay prolonged as a result of an adverse drug reaction

About half a million people admitted to NHS hospitals each year have a diagnostic 'label' of drug allergy, with the most common being penicillin allergy.

  • about 10% of the general population claim to have a penicillin allergy; this has often been because of a skin rash that occurred during a course of penicillin in childhood. Fewer than 10% of people who think they are allergic to penicillin are truly allergic (1). Therefore, penicillin allergy can potentially be excluded in 9% of the population.

Allergic reactions to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, diclofenac, naproxen and aspirin, are common

  • in particular, 5-10% of people with asthma are affected.
    • about one-third of people with chronic urticaria have severe reactions to NSAIDs, involving angioedema and anaphylaxis.

Anaphylaxis-type reactions occur in approximately 1 in 1000 of the general population. Anaphylaxis during general anaesthesia occurs in 1 in 10,000-20,000 anaesthetics

Reference:


Create an account to add page annotations

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.