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Prevalence of hypersensitivity reactions against drugs among adult population in Turkey: a self-reported survey

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Abstract

Aim

There is currently no data available regarding hypersensitivity reactions to drugs in an adult population in Turkey. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of self-reported drug hypersensitivity reactions among adults in Turkey and related factors.

Subjects and methods

A structured self-administered questionnaire was sent to the parents of 6th grade elementary students who represented different socioeconomic levels of populations in Ankara/Turkey.

Results

A total of 1,370 adults (mean age: 23.88 ± 6.48 years, female/male: 710/660) responded to the survey. The prevalence of self-reported drug hypersensitivity was 13.4% (183/1,370). The most frequently drugs involved were beta-lactams (n = 63, 34.4%), followed by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (n = 52, 28.4%), general anesthetics (n = 29, 15.8%) and radio contrast media (n = 25, 13.7%). Factors related with reported reactions were age (p < 0.0001, odds ratio: 2.27); personal history of allergic (p: 0.001, odds ratio: 7.32), nonallergic diseases (p < 0.0001, odds ratio: 39.93), and family history of drug hypersensitivity (p < 0.0001, odds ratio: 17.00). Less than half of the subjects had solicited medical assistance during the acute stages of a reaction and 9.7% of them had been referred to an allergist for further evaluation of a drug allergy.

Conclusion

This survey showed that self-reported hypersensitivity reactions to drugs are highly prevalent among parents of elementary students and its prevalence seems to be affected by age, personal allergic and nonallergic diseases, and family history of drug hypersensitivity.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sevim Bavbek.

Appendix

Appendix

QUESTIONNAIRE

PART I

  • Name/surname:

  • Year (school term):

  • Gender:

  • Age:

Concomitant diseases:

  • Migraine

  • Urinary tract infection with relapses

  • Liver failure

  • Sinusitis

  • Renal failure

  • Cystic fibrosis

  • Others:

Concomitant allergic diseases:

  • Asthma

  • Allergic rhinitis

  • Food allergy

  • Urticaria

  • Allergic reaction to bee stings

  • Allergic reaction to latex

  • Atopic dermatitis

  • Others:

Drug allergy in family history:

Yes/No

Have you ever had any of the following allergic signs after or during using a medicine to date?

  1. 1.

    Skin: itchy swelling (urticaria)

  2. 2.

    Skin: angioedema (swelling without itch)

  3. 3.

    Itching (pruritus), rush, oozing and draining skin lesion (eczema)

  4. 4.

    Other skin signs

  5. 5.

    Hypotension

  6. 6.

    General: fainting, loss of consciousness, sweating, pallor

  7. 7.

    Upper airways: throat obstruction, difficulty in speaking, difficulty in swallowing

  8. 8.

    Eye: secretion, itching, redness

  9. 9.

    Lower airways: cough, shortness of breath, wheezing

  10. 10.

    Nasal: sneezing, itching, secretion, congestion

  11. 11.

    Hematological problems (Anemia, leucopenia, thrombocytopenia....)

  12. 12.

    Inflamed kidney (nephritis)

  13. 13.

    Vasculitis (blood vessel inflammation)

  14. 14.

    Serum disease

  15. 15.

    Heart; palpitation, tachycardia

  16. 16.

    Gastrointestinal system: stomachache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea

Yes/No

IF YOUR ANSWER IS NO, THE QUESTIONNAIRE IS OVER

IF YOUR ANSWER IS YES, GO ON TO OTHER QUESTIONS

PART II

Which groups of drugs you caused the allergic reaction? You can answer more than one group.

  1. 1.

    Antibiotics

    • Name:

    • Don’t know:

  2. 2.

    Analgesics

    • Aspirin

    • Other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (please indicate)

    • Don’t know:

  3. 3.

    Local anesthetics

    • Name:

    • Don’t know:

  4. 4.

    General anesthetics

    • Name:

    • Don’t know:

  5. 5.

    Radio contrast agents

    • Name:

    • Don’t know:

  6. 6.

    Other (please indicate)

DETERMINATION OF APPROACHES TO DRUG ALLERGY

Did you see a doctor because of this reaction?

Yes/No

If no, why didn’t you see a doctor?

  1. 1.

    Thought unimportant

  2. 2.

    Thought it wasn’t because of the drug

  3. 3.

    Wanted to see one but couldn’t

At what point did you see a doctor

  1. 1.

    When there were allergic reaction signs

  1. 2.

    When there weren’t any allergic reaction signs

Which medical specialty was sought for help with your reactions

  1. 1.

    Emergency services

  1. 2.

    Allergies

  1. 3.

    Chest diseases

  1. 4.

    Dermatology

  1. 5.

    Internal medicine

  1. 6.

    Pediatrics

  1. 7.

    Other

Doctor’s approach

  1. 1.

    Gave medicine

  1. 2.

    Only observed

  1. 3.

    Told to avoid the drug that caused allergic reaction

  1. 4.

    Sent to allergy department

  1. 5.

    Performed drug tests for diagnosis

  2. 6.

    Informed, without testing, about another drug that could be used

  1. 7.

    Hospitalized

Doctor’s drug therapy

  1. 1.

    Antihistamines

  1. 2.

    Adrenaline

  1. 3.

    Don’t know

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Bavbek, S., Çelik, G.E., Aydın, Ö. et al. Prevalence of hypersensitivity reactions against drugs among adult population in Turkey: a self-reported survey. J Public Health 20, 585–592 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-012-0496-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-012-0496-9

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