Retrospective review of clinical characteristics in 250 cases of suspected glucocorticoid allergy and typical case analysis
- VernacularTitle:250例可疑糖皮质激素过敏患者的临床特征回顾及典型案例分析
- Author:
Juan GUO
1
;
Qiangzhong PI
1
;
Xiaotian DAI
1
Author Information
1. Dept. of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine，the First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University，Chongqing 400038，China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
glucocorticoids;
allergy;
bronchial asthma;
dexamethasone;
clinical characteristics
- From:
China Pharmacy
2025;36(3):346-350
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE To investigate the clinical characteristics of glucocorticoid allergy， and provide treatment and prevention strategies for patients with concurrent bronchial asthma. METHODS A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 250 patients with suspected glucocorticoid allergy admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University （hereinafter referred to as “our hospital”）from May 1st， 2002， to April 30th， 2022； and a typical case analysis was carried out. RESULTS Among 250 patients with suspected glucocorticoid allergy， 140 were female patients （56.00%） and 110 were male patients （44.00%）. The majority of admissions were to the internal medicine department （118 cases， 47.20%）. One hundred and seventy patients （68.00%） were allergic to dexamethasone， and 37 patients （14.80%） were allergic to prednisone. Two hundred and thirty-eight patients （95.20%） were allergic to one type of glucocorticoid， and 12 patients （4.80%） were allergic to two types of glucocorticoid. Ten patients had clear records of glucocorticoid administration routes， in which 6 were intravenous and 4 were oral. Among the 250 patients， only 32 cases had clear records of clinical manifestations of glucocorticoid allergy， the most common clinical manifestations were rash （12 cases） and skin itching （8 cases）， with 6 patients experiencing both rash and skin itching. The treatment for glucocorticoid allergy mainly involved discontinuing the medication and providing symptomatic treatment. For patients with concurrent bronchial asthma， it was generally necessary to switch to other glucocorticoids in their subsequent treatment to control the condition. The incidence of suspected glucocorticoid allergy among inpatients in our hospital during the same period was 0.019%. The incidence of suspected glucocorticoid allergy with concurrent bronchial asthma was 0.201%. Additionally， a case analysis of bronchial asthma combined with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in our hospital resulted in glucocorticoid allergy revealed that， based on the patient’s medical history and drug challenge test results， the patient was diagnosed with glucocorticoid （Methylprednisolone tablets and Dexamethasone acetate tablets） allergy， and antihistamine treatment was effective. CONCLUSIONS Glucocorticoid allergy is clinically rare， and its clinical manifestations are predominantly mild reactions such as rashes and skin itching. For patients with concurrent bronchial asthma who experience glucocorticoid allergy， treatment options include switching to other glucocorticoids， altering the route of glucocorticoid administration， symptomatic treatment， and the use of immunosuppressive agents as adjunctive or alternative therapy.
