Hypersensitivity to antibiotics: principles of diagnosis

Vykhrystenko L.R., Vykhrystenko K.S., Rybchenko N.S.

Vitebsk State Medical University, Vitebsk
Vitebsk Trade and Production Unitary Enterprise «Pharmacy», Vitebsk

Drug hypersensitivity reactions (DHR) account for 20% of all adverse drug reactions and are particularly common in patients treated with antibiotics. DHR is mediated by immunological and non-immunological mechanisms that determine the diversity of endotypes and clinical phenotypes of DHR. The key principles of DHR diagnosis are correct collection of pharmacological and allergic history, medical examination, and a complex of studies to identify the drug responsible for the reaction. The article discusses the negative consequences of under- and overdiagnosis of DHR to antibiotics, presents approaches to patient stratification based on the risk of recurrent DHR development, stages of diagnostic examination, including laboratory, skin and provocative tests with antibiotics, the purpose of which is to choose a safe antibiotic.