diagnosis can be challenging. Understanding their respective mechanisms as well as developing a comprehensive classification and diagnostic algorithm are pivotal for appropriate management strategy. Treatment modalities are based on the subtypes and severity of hypersensitivity reactions. Insights into the phenotypes and endotypes of hypersensitivity reactions enable personalized management in patients with suboptimal control of disease. This review updated the recent evidence of pathophysiology, classification, diagnostic algorithm, and management of NSAID hypersensitivity reactions.]]>
Angioedema ; Asthma ; Classification ; Diagnosis ; Drug Hypersensitivity ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Phenotype ; Rhinitis ; Urticaria

Urticaria is a common cutaneous disease characterized by recurrent and transient wheals and pruritus, sometimes accompanied angioedema. The classification of urticaria is based on the duration of the disease and whether extrinsic triggers are identified or not. Acute urticaria is usually occurred by specific causes, such as drug, food, and infection, etc. Therefore, acute urticaria can be remitted within 6 weeks just by avoiding the exposure to the causes. However, chronic urticaria defined as repeatedly occurred itchy wheals and/or angioedema for at least 6 weeks, has a significant effect on patients' quality of life. Chronic inducible urticaria can be triggered by various physical stimuli including dermographism, delayed pressure, cold, heat, cholinergic stimuli, sunlight, and exercise. Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is diagnosed when no specific extrinsic cause is identified in the patients. CSU due to autoimmune mechanism accounts for 30–50%, autologous serum skin test and anti-thyroid autoantibody can be evaluated. However, various physical stimuli, emotional or physical stress, drugs, particularly aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can exacerbate urticaria in 30–75% of patients with CSU. Allergic diseases and autoimmune diseases are more common in CSU patients than in general populations. To assess the severity of urticaria and to adjust treatment step, urticaria activity score over 7 days, calculated by the number of wheals and the severity of pruritus, is recommended by recent international guidelines.
Angioedema ; Aspirin ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Classification ; Diagnosis ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Pruritus ; Quality of Life ; Skin Tests ; Sunlight ; Urticaria

Chlorpheniramine maleate is commonly used antihistamine. Since antihistamines are the main therapeutic agents for symptomatic treatment of urticaria, anaphylaxis to antihistamines may lead to errors in diagnosis and treatment. We report a case of anaphylaxis induced by chlorpheniramine maleate confirmed by intradermal test. A 35-year-old female experienced history of anaphylaxis after intramuscular injection of chlorpheniramine maleate. Skin prick test was negative, but intradermal test was positive. Patient also experienced mild dizziness after intradermal test and refused to perform any further evaluation such as oral challenge test. Anaphylaxis for chlorpheniramine maleate is very rare but should be considered.
Adult ; Anaphylaxis ; Chlorpheniramine ; Diagnosis ; Dizziness ; Female ; Histamine Antagonists ; Humans ; Injections, Intramuscular ; Intradermal Tests ; Skin ; Urticaria

Skin diseases associated with athletic activities can be classified as skin infections, inflammatory reactions, trauma, and abnormal proliferation, depending on the cause of the condition. Athlete's nodule is a generic term for reactive nodules that occur in athletes. It is particularly common in the foot due to tight sneakers, repetitive pressure or friction, and inappropriate choice of shoes or other sports equipment. The diagnosis of black heel (calcaneal petechiae) should be considered when numerous black spots occur on the soles in patients who frequently engage in abrupt movements, such as starts, stops, or leaps. Palmoplantar eccrine hidradenitis may occur in athletes who play baseball, dance, and climb, activities in which repetitive and strong stimuli are applied to the floor of the hands and feet. Painful fat herniation should be suspected in cases of painful skin-colored firm nodules on the feet of athletes who place a large amount of weight on their feet when moving. Itching, urticaria, angioedema, chest tightness, and syncope occurring within 5 minutes after starting exercise should be suspected to be exercise-induced angioedema/anaphylaxis. Excessive force can cause deformation of nails, as in tennis toe and jogger's toenail. For the diagnosis and treatment of sports-related skin diseases, it is essential to pay attention to patients' hobbies and exercise habits, including sports, and to consider the relationship of those habits with the presumed mechanisms of the skin disease. In addition, thorough pre-exercise warm-ups, increasing strength gradually, and wearing proper equipment will help prevent the occurrence of sports-related skin diseases.
Angioedema ; Athletes ; Baseball ; Dancing ; Diagnosis ; Foot ; Friction ; Hand ; Heel ; Hidradenitis ; Hobbies ; Humans ; Nails ; Pruritus ; Shoes ; Skin Diseases ; Skin ; Sports ; Sports Equipment ; Syncope ; Tennis ; Thorax ; Toes ; Urticaria

PURPOSE: Drug provocation tests (DPT) are the gold standard for confirming the diagnosis of drug hypersensitivity reactions (DHRs). However, there are little studies of DPT in children. The purpose of this study was to evaluate DPT results and safety as diagnostic methods of DHR in Korean children. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 39 children under 18 years of age with a suspected DHR and performed DPT between January 2010 and May 2016 at Asan Medical Center. RESULTS: Total 110 DPT were performed in 39 children (20 boys and 19 girls) with a history of DHR. Clinical presentation of DHR included skin rash (n=7), pruritus (n=3), urticaria (n=18), angioedema (n=19), dyspnea (n=5), hoarseness (n=1), hypothermia (n=1), and anaphylaxis (n=5). The median age at the time of DPT was 9 years. Positive DPT were observed in 21 of 39 children (53.8%) and 28 of 110 cases (25.5%). Drugs causing positive reactions were acetaminophen in 50% (9 of 18), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in 29.2% (14 of 48), cephalosporin in 9.1% (1 of 11), trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole in 50% (1 of 2), local anesthetics in 10% (1 of 10), and others (levodropropizine and idursulfase) in 15.4% (2 of 13). There was no statistical difference between children who had positive and negative results in sex, age, personal and parental history of allergic disease, eosinophil count, or total IgE level. Children with positive DPT did not develop anaphylaxis during the DPT procedure. CONCLUSION: Drug provocation test is safe, and it can be considered in children with suspected DHRs.
Acetaminophen ; Anaphylaxis ; Anesthetics, Local ; Angioedema ; Child ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Diagnosis ; Drug Hypersensitivity ; Dyspnea ; Eosinophils ; Exanthema ; Hoarseness ; Humans ; Hypothermia ; Immunoglobulin E ; Medical Records ; Parents ; Pruritus ; Urticaria

BACKGROUND: Drug eruptions are common in hospitalized patients. Rapid and accurate diagnosis is essential but often difficult. OBJECTIVE: This study defined the clinical features and causative drugs among inpatients presenting with drug eruptions. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical and laboratory data of inpatients who sought consultations with the Dermatology Department for a diagnosis of drug eruptions. RESULTS: A total of 228 patients were diagnosed with drug eruptions, and this study included 139 patients. The highest incidence of drug eruptions was observed in patients in their 50s (22.3%). The most common latent period was up to 1 week (57.6%). The most common drug eruptions were exanthematous eruptions (59.7%), acneiform eruptions (10.8%), and urticaria (9.3%). The most common causative drugs were antibiotics (53.2%), followed by anticancer drugs (19.4%), and contrast media (6.5%). Laboratory abnormalities included eosinophilia (15.8%), abnormal liver function tests (7.9%), leukopenia (4.3%), an elevated serum creatinine level (2.2%), and leukocytosis (0.7%). CONCLUSION: In descending order, the most frequent drug eruptions were exanthematous eruptions, acneiform eruptions, and urticaria, and the most common causative drugs were antibiotics, anticancer agents, and contrast media. Prompt diagnosis and discontinuation of the causative drug are important in this context. Clinicians should be aware of cutaneous adverse drug reactions.
Acneiform Eruptions ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Antineoplastic Agents ; Contrast Media ; Creatinine ; Dermatology* ; Diagnosis ; Drug Eruptions* ; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions ; Eosinophilia ; Humans ; Incidence ; Inpatients* ; Leukocytosis ; Leukopenia ; Liver Function Tests ; Referral and Consultation ; Retrospective Studies ; Urticaria

BACKGROUND: P-phenylenediamine (PPD) has been identified as the most frequent contact sensitizer of hair dye and the clinical characteristics of hair dye contact allergy (HDCA) are diverse. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify the clinical characteristics of HDCA and to assess the relationships between HDCA, exposure time to PPD and PPD positivity. METHODS: We analyzed 105 patients with patch test-confirmed hair dye allergy who presented between July 2009 and March 2015. Clinical symptoms, signs, associated skin diseases, involved ACD area, and patterns of hair dye use were obtained by reviewing medical records and by interview. RESULTS: HDCA was more common in women and in individuals aged more than 50 years. Pruritus was the most common symptom; erythematous macules and patches were the most frequently observed clinical signs. The most common site of HDCA was the face and non-specific eczema and urticaria were frequently observed with HDCA. Exposure time to hair dye, represented as frequency and duration, showed a positive correlation with the area affected by hair dye allergy (p < 0.001). Hair dye allergy was identified in most patients (80%) before diagnosis by patch test. However, only 28.6% of all patients stopped using hair dye, even after the diagnosis was confirmed. CONCLUSION: The extent of hair dye allergy involvement was related to exposure time to hair dye. For effective treatment of HDCA, it is important to properly educate patients with HDCA about the clinical manifestations of HDCA and to keep away from allergens.
Allergens ; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact ; Diagnosis ; Eczema ; Female ; Hair Dyes ; Hair* ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity* ; Medical Records ; Patch Tests ; Phenylenediamines ; Pruritus ; Skin Diseases ; Urticaria

Knowledge of the clinical course of chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) remains unclear. The purpose of our study was to investigate the clinical course of CSU in the Korean adult population. Each patient in the CSU group who was defined by disease codes between 2003 and 2007 was tracked whether he or she went into remission or not until 2013. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was carried out to analyze remission, and log-rank tests were performed for between-group comparisons. Demographic differences between subjects who went into remission 1 year after the initial diagnosis and those who did not were analyzed using χ² tests. A total of 13,969 subjects were included in the CSU group. The 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-year remission rates of CSU were 21.5%, 33.0%, 38.9%, 42.6%, and 44.6%, respectively. The proportion of subjects in the 65+ age group (P=0.050) and with male gender (P=0.002) was significantly higher among subjects who did not go into remission 1 year after the initial diagnosis. Our study indicates that CSU could have a more persistent course than previously reported.
Adult ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Urticaria

There was no previous population-based study on the comparison of the risk of chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) between autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD) and age- and gender-matched controls. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the risk of CSU after diagnosis of AITD using national registry data from Korea. The secondary objective was to evaluate other risk factors of CSU. Based on the disease code diagnoses in 2003-2005, we composed an AITD group (n=3,659) and an age- and gender-matched control group (n=18,295). Each patient was tracked for whether CSU occurs or not until 2013. After adjusting for demographic differences and comorbidities, patients with AITD had a significantly higher rate of CSU compared to the control group (hazard ratio [HR], 1.46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.25-1.70; P<0.001). Among the AITD patients, the adjusted HR for CSU was higher in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HR, 1.50) than in those with Grave's disease (HR, 1.33), although the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.368). Analysis of CSU patients associated with AITD showed that female patients had a significantly higher risk of CSU compared to male ones (HR, 1.34; P=0.001) and that those with allergic rhinitis (HR, 1.51; P<0.001), atopic dermatitis (HR, 2.44; P<0.001), and asthma (HR, 1.50; P<0.001) had a significantly higher risk of CSU compared to patients without respective diseases. Our results demonstrated that AITD could be significantly associated with an increased risk of CSU.
Asthma ; Comorbidity ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Graves Disease ; Hashimoto Disease ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Rhinitis, Allergic ; Risk Factors ; Thyroid Diseases* ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroiditis ; Urticaria*

PURPOSE: Reports evaluating diagnosis and cross reactivity of quinolone hypersensitivity have revealed contradictory results. Furthermore, there are no reports investigating the cross-reactivity between gemifloxacin (GFX) and the others. We aimed to detect the usefulness of diagnostic tests of hypersensitivity reactions to quinolones and to evaluate the cross reactivity between different quinolones including the latest quinolone GFX. METHODS: We studied 54 patients (mean age 42.31±10.39 years; 47 female) with 57 hypersensitivity reactions due to different quinolones and 10 nonatopic quinolone tolerable control subjects. A detailed clinical history, skin test (ST), and single-blind placebo-controlled drug provocation test (SBPCDPT), as well as basophil activation test (BAT) and lymphocyte transformation test (LTT) were performed with the culprit and alternative quinolones including ciprofloxacin (CFX), moxifloxacin (MFX), levofloxacin (LFX), ofloxacin (OFX), and GFX. RESULTS: The majority (75.9%) of the patients reported immediate type reactions to various quinolones. The most common culprit drug was CFX (52.6%) and the most common reaction type was urticaria (26.3%). A quarter of the patients (24.1%) reacted to SBPCDPTs, although their STs were negative; while false ST positivity was 3.5% and ST/SBPCDPTs concordance was only 1.8%. Both BAT and LTT were not found useful in quinolone hypersensitivity. Cross-reactivity was primarily observed between LFX and OFX (50.0%), whereas it was the least between MFX and the others, and in GFX hypersensitive patients the degree of cross-reactivity to the other quinolones was 16.7%. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that STs, BAT, and LTT are not supportive in the diagnosis of a hypersensitivity reaction to quinolone as well as in the prediction of cross-reactivity. Drug provocation tests (DPTs) are necessary to identify both culprit and alternative quinolones.
Basophils ; Ciprofloxacin ; Diagnosis* ; Diagnostic Tests, Routine* ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity* ; In Vitro Techniques* ; Levofloxacin ; Lymphocyte Activation ; Ofloxacin ; Quinolones* ; Skin Tests ; Urticaria