After an allergological work-up, over 90% of the children evaluated were finally confirmed as tolerant to BLs. Most reactions were of the non-immediate type, and DPT was an essential tool for diagnosis.
In these children, CI hypersensitivity to NSAIDs was the most frequent type of hypersensitivity reaction. Ibuprofen was the drug most often involved, angio-oedema the most common entity, and frequently associated with atopy. DPT proved a safe approach for diagnosing these patients.
Introduction: Mild non-immediate reactions (NIRs) to beta-lactams (BLs) are the most frequent manifestation of drug allergy in children. The diagnostic approach is complex as the utility of skin tests (STs) and lymphocyte transformation tests (LTTs) is controversial. Drug provocation test (DPT) is the gold standard, although no standardized protocols exist. We aimed to investigate the utility of DPT in a unique dose without previous STs, and LTTs in the diagnosis of NIRs to BLs in children.
Methods:We prospectively evaluated children 0-14 years old referred to the Regional University Hospital of Málaga during 2017-2020 reporting NIRs to BLs. We performed a DPT with a unique dose followed by regular treatment at home. If positive, STs and LTTs were done after the reaction had disappeared.
Results:We included 194 children, having 24 (12.4%) a positive DPT. The main culprit was AX (70.1%) followed by AX-clavulanic acid (CLV) (26.8%) and the main symptoms maculopapular exanthema (MPE) (49.5%) and delayed-urticaria (48.5%). A decrease (p = 0.013) in the interval of days between drug administration and onset of symptoms was observed in positive DPT compared with the original reaction (3.5 vs 6 days), with no differences in the overall percentage of MPE and delayed-appearing urticaria (p = 0.551). No severe reactions occurred during DPT. Moreover, STs were positive in 13.33% and LTTs in 52.9%.
Conclusions:Single-dose DPT without previous STs is a safe and useful way to assess NIRs to BLs in children. LTT has shown to be useful, confirming a T-cell mechanism involved in these reactions.
Background
Three allergic phenotypes of rhinitis have been described in adults: allergic rhinitis (AR), local allergic rhinitis (LAR), and dual allergic rhinitis (DAR, coexistence of AR and LAR). Nevertheless, most centers follow a diagnostic approach only based on skin prick test and serum allergen–specific IgE (collectively called atopy tests, AT). This approach prevents the recognition of LAR and DAR, the diagnosis of which requires a nasal allergen challenge (NAC). Here, we investigate the existence of LAR and DAR phenotypes in children and adolescents, and the misdiagnosis rate associated with a work‐up exclusively based on AT.
Methods
Clinical data were obtained during physician‐conducted interviews, and AT and NAC were systematically performed in 5‐ to 18‐year‐old patients with chronic rhinitis. The misdiagnosis rate was defined as the proportion of cases where AT and NAC results were discordant.
Results
A total of 173 patients (mean age 15.1 years, 39.9% male) completed the study. AR (positive AT and NAC), LAR (negative AT and positive NAC), DAR (positive AT and NAC for some allergens and negative AT and positive NAC for other allergens), and non‐allergic rhinitis (negative NAC) were diagnosed in 45.7%, 24.9%, 11.6%, and 17.9% of individuals, respectively. The clinical profile was comparable among allergic phenotypes, but allergic patients had a significantly earlier rhinitis onset, higher conjunctivitis prevalence, and more severe disease than NAR individuals. A diagnostic work‐up exclusively based on AT misclassified 37.6% of patients.
Conclusions
LAR and DAR represent relevant differential diagnosis in pediatric rhinitis. NAC increases the diagnostic accuracy of clinical algorithms for rhinitis in children and adolescents.
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