Your Child May Not Truly Be Allergic To Penicillin

Reported penicillin allergies in children usually inconsistent with true allergy

Jul 3, 2017

Clinical Essentials from Pediatrics

Takeaway
• Parent-reported penicillin allergy symptoms in children presenting to the emergency department (ED) are likely inconsistent with true, immunoglobulin E-mediated allergy when evaluated by the 3-tier penicillin allergy questionnaire.

• Data demonstrate that the true incidence of penicillin allergy is 0.004%-0.015%.

Why this matters
• Because of time constraints and invasiveness associated with standard allergy testing, an allergy pediatric questionnaire may optimize first-line penicillin use in children presenting with the ED with parent-reported penicillin allergies.

• Data suggest that the majority of reported pediatric penicillin allergy symptoms (eg, maculopapular rash, hives, vomiting, diarrhea) are actually low risk for true allergy.

Study design
• This study evaluated 597 children between the ages of

When the treatment is worse than the disease

“Simponi can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious and sometimes fatal events can occur – such as infections, cancer in children and adults, heart failure, nervous system disorders, liver or blood problems and allergic reactions. Before starting Simponi, your doctor should test you for TB and assess your risk of infections, including fungal infections, and hepatitis B.”

– from a teevee commercial/advertisement for a once-a-month, self-injectable “drug/medicine” branded “Simponi” purported to treat rheumatoid arthritis

“SIMPONI^™ can lower your ability to fight infections. There are reports of serious infections caused by bacteria, fungi, or viruses that have spread throughout the body, including tuberculosis (TB) and histoplasmosis. Some of these infections have been fatal. Your doctor will test you for TB before starting SIMPONI^™ and will monitor you for signs of TB during treatment. Tell your doctor if you have been in close contact with people with TB. Tell your doctor if you have been in a region (such as the Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys and the Southwest) where certain fungal infections like histoplasmosis or coccidioidomycosis are common. Unusual cancers have been reported in children and teenage patients taking TNF-blocker medicines. For children and adults taking TNF blockers, including SIMPONI^™, the chances for getting lymphoma or other cancers may increase. You should tell your doctor if you have had or develop lymphoma or other cancers.”

– from the http://www.simponi.com/ website

The word “medication” can be simply defined as “a compound or preparation used for the treatment or prevention of disease,” while the word “cure” can be simply defined as to “relieve (a person or animal) of the symptoms of a disease or condition.”

Should a “cure” cause disease?

What the hell was the FDA thinking when they approved this “medicine”?

What sense does it make to create a “medicine” for which the company knows causes cancer? Is that not a class action lawsuit waiting to happen? Would the American Cancer Association approve this medication?

Would YOU recommend this “medicine” to your family and friends?

Would YOU take this “medicine”?

Should this “medicine” be banned?