Antibiotic allergies affect around 10% of individuals, with penicillins accounting for the majority of those cases. Having a diagnosis of penicillin allergy has serious implications for a person’s health, as well as for the overall health and economic well-being of society. Only a small percentage of people can have a suspected allergy to antibiotics verified, despite this. Antibiotic allergy services play an essential role in obtaining contemporaneous notes, charts, and correspondence as necessary, since busy physicians seldom have the opportunity to examine the history of suspected antibiotic allergies in depth. The possibility of a real allergy, the mechanisms of immunological hypersensitivity, the testing technique and the danger of reexposure to the same or similar antibiotics may then be evaluated. Skin testing is still the most common method of inquiry, with challenge testing being performed to confirm tolerance.
There are many doctors who might benefit from a rudimentary understanding of the frequency with which certain medications produce various hypersensitivity reactions and the patterns of cross-reactivity between related medications.
Reference: https://journals.lww.com/clinpulm/Abstract/2019/09000/Providing_an_Antibiotic_Allergy_Service.3.aspx
