0
Sign In  | Subscribe
20 February 2007, Vol 146, No. 4>
Summaries for Patients | 20 February 2007

Tolerability of Meropenem in Patients with Penicillin Allergy FREE

[+] Article and Author Information

The summary below is from the full report titled “Brief Communication: Tolerability of Meropenem in Patients with IgE-Mediated Hypersensitivity to Penicillins.” It is in the 20 February 2007 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine (volume 146, pages 266-269). The authors are A. Romano, M. Viola, R.-M. Guéant-Rodriguez, F. Gaeta, R. Valluzzi, and J.-L. Guéant.


Ann Intern Med. 2007;146(4):I-53. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-146-4-200702200-00001
Text Size: A A A

What is the problem and what is known about it so far?

Allergic reactions to the antibiotic penicillin are common. Meropenem is an antibiotic that fights many of the same infections as penicillin. Meropenem may be an option for patients who are allergic to penicillin. However, meropenem and penicillins have similar chemical structures; therefore, doctors often avoid using meropenem in patients who are allergic to penicillin. Information about the frequency of meropenem allergy in patients with penicillin allergy is limited. With some drugs, such as penicillin and meropenem, doctors can perform a “skin test” for allergic reactions by administering small amounts of the drug under the skin. It is important to know about antibiotic options for patients who cannot take penicillin because of allergy.

Why did the researchers do this particular study?

To learn about the frequency of meropenem allergy in patients with penicillin allergy.

Who was studied?

104 patients with a previous allergic reaction to penicillin and positive results on skin tests for penicillin allergy. These patients agreed to participate for research purposes only and did not actually have conditions that might require meropenem treatment.

How was the study done?

The researchers administered skin tests with meropenem to all 104 patients. They then offered a meropenem challenge test to patients with negative skin test results. In the challenge tests, the researchers gave patients with negative skin test results for meropenem allergy a small dose of meropenem. They carefully observed patients for an allergic reaction. If no reaction occurred, they gave the patient 2 increasingly higher doses, carefully watching for an allergic reaction after each dose.

What did the researchers find?

Of the 104 patients tested, only 1 had a positive skin test result for meropenem allergy. The remaining 103 patients tolerated the meropenem challenges without an allergic reaction.

What were the limitations of the study?

Challenge tests were not followed by full treatment doses because the patients did not have infections that required antibiotic treatment. Some patients who had no reaction to a challenge dose could have an allergic reaction to a full dose.

What are the implications of the study?

Meropenem seems to be a treatment option for patients with penicillin allergy who have negative meropenem skin test results.

Figures

Tables

References

Letters

NOTE:
Citing articles are presented as examples only. In non-demo SCM6 implementation, integration with CrossRef’s “Cited By” API will populate this tab (http://www.crossref.org/citedby.html).
Compression-Only CPR: Pushing the Science Forward
Cone
AAM 2010;304:1493-1495.
All you need to read in the other general jounals
BMJ 2010;341:c5893-c1494.

Comments

Submit a Comment
Submit a Comment

Summary for Patients

Clinical Slide Sets

Terms of Use

The In the Clinic® slide sets are owned and copyrighted by the American College of Physicians (ACP). All text, graphics, trademarks, and other intellectual property incorporated into the slide sets remain the sole and exclusive property of the ACP. The slide sets may be used only by the person who downloads or purchases them and only for the purpose of presenting them during not-for-profit educational activities. Users may incorporate the entire slide set or selected individual slides into their own teaching presentations but may not alter the content of the slides in any way or remove the ACP copyright notice. Users may make print copies for use as hand-outs for the audience the user is personally addressing but may not otherwise reproduce or distribute the slides by any means or media, including but not limited to sending them as e-mail attachments, posting them on Internet or Intranet sites, publishing them in meeting proceedings, or making them available for sale or distribution in any unauthorized form, without the express written permission of the ACP. Unauthorized use of the In the Clinic slide sets will constitute copyright infringement.

Toolkit

Buy This Article

to gain full access to the content and tools.

Want to Subscribe?

Learn more about subscription options

Register Now for a free account
Advertisement

Related Content

Customize your page view by dragging & repositioning the boxes below.

Topic Collections
PubMed Articles
Life-years gained with meropenem over ciprofloxacin in penicillin-allergic patients with gram-negative bacilli sepsis: results of a probabilistic model.
Pharmacotherapy Issue date: 2011 May
IgE-mediated hypersensitivity to cephalosporins: cross-reactivity and tolerability of penicillins, monobactams, and carbapenems.
The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology Issue date: 2010 Nov

Annals of Internal Medicine

Other Resources

Copyright © 2013 The American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.
Print ISSN: 0003-4819 | Online ISSN: 1539-3704

Buy This Article

to gain full access to the content and tools.

Want to Subscribe?

Learn more about subscription options

Register Now for a free account
Forgot your password?
Enter your username and email address. We'll send you a reminder to the email address on record.
(Required)
(Required)