Drug allergies

What are drug allergies?

In developed countries, the consumption of drugs is extremely frequent and the access to new active and safe drugs means a great advance in the fight against most diseases. However, in some cases, their consumption brings with it the development of adverse drug reactions, i.e., undesirable effects that may be due to different causes. Among these, hypersensitivity reactions known as "drug allergies" (DA) occupy a prominent place.

Allergy to a given drug is always due to an immunological phenomenon in which the drug behaves like an allergen. When it reacts with the individual's antibodies or sensitized cells, it causes a more or less severe clinical manifestation.

Immediate reactions mediated by IgE antibodies are the most life-threatening, as anaphylactic reactions and anaphylactic shock are not uncommon. There are other reactions of later onset that can also be severe: vasculitis, serum sickness or fever, among others.