Giuseppe Crisafulli
UO Allergologia, Dipartimento di Pediatria, Università di Messina, Italy
Fabrizio Franceschini
UOC Pediatria, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria “Ospedali Riuniti”, Ancona, Italy
Silvia Caimmi
Pediatric Clinic, Foundation IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
Paolo Bottau
Pediatric and Neonatology Unit, Imola Hospital, Imola (BO), Italy
Lucia Liotti
Department of Pediatrics, Senigallia Hospital, Senigallia, Italy
Francesca Saretta
Pediatric Department, AAS2 Bassa Friulana-Isontina, Palmanova-Latisana, Italy; Pediatric Allergy Unit, Department of Medicine, Udine, Italy
Roberto Bernardini
Pediatric Unit, “San Giuseppe” Hospital, Empoli, Italy
Fabio Cardinale
UOC di Pediatria, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria “Consorziale-Policlinico”, Ospedale Pediatrico Giovanni XXIII, Bari, Italy
Francesca Mori
Allergy Unit, Department of Pediatric Medicine, Anna Meyer Children’s University Hospital, Florence, Italy
Carlo Caffarelli
Clinica Pediatrica, Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria, Università di Parma, Italy
Keywords
Drug hypersensitivity reactions, children, skin test, specific IgE, drug provocation test, exanthema, urticaria
Abstract
Adverse reactions to drugs are not frequent in childhood. Cutaneous reactions are the most frequent in this age group. Mild cutaneous reactions are immediate or delayed adverse reactions that do not seriously compromise the clinical condition of children. The patients usually early improve and recover the state of health. Although it is difficult to define the prevalence accurately, we could affirm that the rate adverse reaction to drugs are often over estimated by both the families and the physicians. Therefore, children may be prone to loss of school days and inappropriate or sub-optimal treatments. However, the identification of a true adverse reaction to drugs allows adequate treatment and alert to further exposure to harmful drugs.