RT Book, Section
A1 Kelso, John M.
A2 Kline, Mark W.
SR Print(0)
ID 1182931966
T1 Drug and Vaccine Allergy
T2 Rudolph's Pediatrics, 23e
YR 2018
FD 2018
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9781259588594
LK accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1182931966
RD 2024/04/23
AB Any  adverse  event  occurring  around  the  time  a  child  takes  a  medication  or  receives  a  vaccine  may  be  labeled  as  “allergy.”  The  patient  or  caregivers  typically  are  told  to  avoid  the  suspected  and/or  similar  medications  in  the  future.  However,  unnecessary  avoidance  of  medication  carries  a  risk  because  alternative  medications  may  be  less  effective,  more  expensive,  or  have  more  side  effects.  In  the  case  of  vaccines,  withholding  future  doses  leaves  children  susceptible  to  serious  vaccine-preventable  diseases.  True  allergic  reactions  are  immunologically  mediated,  and  immunologic  memory  poses  a  risk  for  recurrence.  In  such  cases,  avoidance  of  the  medication  in  the  future  may  be  appropriate.  However,  many  such  adverse  events  are  coincidental  or  not  immunologically  mediated  and,  hence,  the  medication  does  not  need  to  be  avoided.  Therefore,  it  is  important  to  conduct  an  appropriate  investigation  of  drug  or  vaccine  allergy  before  labeling  children  as  “allergic.”