TY - JOUR
T1 - Severe serum sickness-like reaction to oral penicillin drugs
T2 - Three case reports
AU - Tatum, A. J.
AU - Ditto, A. M.
AU - Patterson, R.
N1 - Funding Information:
Division of Allergy-Immunology, Department of Medicine and the Ernest S. Bazley Asthma and Allergic Diseases Center of Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, Illinois. Supported by the Ernest S. Bazley Grant to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and North-western University Medical School. Received for publication January 17, 2000. Accepted for publication in revised form June 1, 2000.
Copyright:
Copyright 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2001
Y1 - 2001
N2 - Background: Because the use of heterologous sera has diminished, the incidence of serum sickness has declined. However, serum sickness-like reactions to nonprotein drugs continue to occur. Methods: We report three cases of severe serum sickness-like reactions in adults to oral penicillin drugs. Results: In each patient, significant symptom resolution occurred within 24 hours of starting therapy with oral corticosteroids. Conclusions: Serum sickness-like reactions to oral penicillin drugs may be more common than reported in the literature and can be very severe. No specific laboratory finding is universally present or definitively diagnostic. As with classic serum sickness, the diagnosis of serum sickness-like reaction is made clinically. In severe cases such as those presented here with debilitating joint symptoms or life-threatening angioedema, a diagnostic-therapeutic trial of prednisone, 40 to 60 mg at least once daily, is warranted.
AB - Background: Because the use of heterologous sera has diminished, the incidence of serum sickness has declined. However, serum sickness-like reactions to nonprotein drugs continue to occur. Methods: We report three cases of severe serum sickness-like reactions in adults to oral penicillin drugs. Results: In each patient, significant symptom resolution occurred within 24 hours of starting therapy with oral corticosteroids. Conclusions: Serum sickness-like reactions to oral penicillin drugs may be more common than reported in the literature and can be very severe. No specific laboratory finding is universally present or definitively diagnostic. As with classic serum sickness, the diagnosis of serum sickness-like reaction is made clinically. In severe cases such as those presented here with debilitating joint symptoms or life-threatening angioedema, a diagnostic-therapeutic trial of prednisone, 40 to 60 mg at least once daily, is warranted.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0035082079&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0035082079&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S1081-1206(10)63308-X
DO - 10.1016/S1081-1206(10)63308-X
M3 - Article
C2 - 11289334
AN - SCOPUS:0035082079
SN - 1081-1206
VL - 86
SP - 330
EP - 334
JO - Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
JF - Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
IS - 3
ER -