Drug allergy

Evaluation of suspected drug allergy. Blood (specific IgE) or skin testing is performed at The Alfred.

Eligibility

At least one must be met for the patient to be eligible for referral.

Adult patient (18+) with suspected drug allergy requiring evaluation

Label of drug allergy preventing use of an indicated medication

Red flags

Indicate urgent (Category 1) referral or emergency assessment.

Acute anaphylaxis to a drug — refer to Emergency Department

Recent drug-induced anaphylaxis without a management plan — contact Allergy registrar on 9076 2000

Severe cutaneous adverse reaction (e.g. SJS/TEN, DRESS) — emergency assessment

Routine referral criteria

Determine Category 2 or 3 urgency.

Reproducible reaction to an identified drug with ongoing clinical need to clarify allergy status

Historical drug-allergy label without recent reaction, limiting future therapy

Usually managed in primary care

Document careful history of all drugs (and foods) taken prior to the episode — patients are often unsure of the exact agent.
Document anaphylaxis, severity of symptoms and interval between exposure and reaction.
List current medications, past medical history and any prior allergy testing.