September 11, 2015

Chlorpheniramine-induced anaphylaxis diagnosed by basophil activation test

Asia Pac Allergy. 2015 Jul;5(3):177-180. English.
 http://dx.doi.org/10.5415/apallergy.2015.5.3.177 
Hyun-Seung Lee,1,2, Woo-Jung Song,1,2, Ji-Won Lee,1,2 Young-Yoon Cho,1 Han-Ki Park,1,2 Min-Gyu Kang,1,2 Sang-Heon Cho,1,2 and Seong-Wook Sohn3
1Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 110-799, Korea.
2Institute of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul 110-799, Korea.
3Department of Internal Medicine, Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital, Goyang 410-773, Korea.
Abstract

Chlorpheniramine is a widely prescribed H1-antihistamine for relieving urticaria or histamine-mediated allergic reactions. However, although rare, it may cause immediate hypersensitivity reactions. The diagnosis is usually made by provocation test, but its application is often limited due to comorbidities or potential risk of severe reactions.
In those cases, skin tests and basophil activation tests can be considered as additional diagnostic tests for the drug allergy. Here, we report a 33-year-old female with underlying chronic urticaria, who recurrently developed anaphylaxis after chlorpheniramine administration. Intradermal test showed positive responses in the patient at 0.02 mg/mL of chlorpheniramine, but not in healthy controls. Basophil activation test showed significant up-regulation of CD63 and CD203c by chlorpheniramine. The present case reminds the rare but potential allergic risk of chlorpheniramine, and also suggests the potential utility of basophil activation test in making the diagnosis.
Keywords: Drug HypersensitivityAnaphylaxisBasophils.

 Open Access


      

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