Private MD News

Study: Many mistakenly think they have drug allergies

Category: Allergy Testing

New research has found the majority of people who think they may be allergic to life-saving medication may be wrong.

Researchers in a Cincinnati emergency department published their findings in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, which suggested most people may be wrong about the drug allergies they were told they had when they were younger, USA Today reports.

A total of 150 patients who said they were allergic to penicillin participated in the study to confirm their allergy. Out of that amount, 13 people tested positive as being allergic to the common medication.

Jonathan Bernstein, an allergist at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, told the news provider that this is common finding in penicillin studies.

One possible explanation may be because people are told by their mothers or doctors at an early age about the allergy, according to the article. Others may confuse side effects from certain medication with an allergic reaction or may grow out of certain allergies.

Allergy testing, especially for adults, can confirm or contradict what they were told as children and may allow them to start taking penicillin for certain medical conditions.