Allergol Immunopathol (Madr). 2011;39(1):27—31 www.elsevier.es/ai ORIGINAL ARTICLE Immediate-type drug hypersensitivity and associated factors in a general population E. Kurt a,* , A.U. Demir b , O. Cadirci c , H. Yildirim c , T. Pinar Eser d a Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Medical Faculty, Pulmonary Diseases-Allergy Department, Eskisehir, Turkey b Hacettepe University, Medical Faculty, Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Ankara, Turkey c Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Eskisehir, Turkey d Kaymaz Family Health Center, Eskisehir, Turkey Received 30 December 2009; accepted 8 February 2010 Available online 1 August 2010 KEYWORDS Drug allergy; Epidemiology; Hypersensitivity; Risk factors Abstract Background: Our aim was to assess the prevalence and associated risk factors of common hypersensitivity reactions to drugs in the adult population, for which limited data are available. Methods: The data consisted of 1052 questionnaires obtained from adults. The question- naires consisted of questions on immediate-type hypersensitivity reactions induced by drugs (itching, skin rash/hives, angio-oedema, shortness of breath, hypotension, and loss of con- sciousness). The questionnaire added knowledge on pyhsician’s diagnosis of asthma, allergic rhinitis, eczema, and other chronic systemic diseases. Results: The prevalence of self-reported drug hypersensitivity reactions was 11.8% for all reac- tions. Hypersensitivity reactions to analgesics were the most common (37.2%) followed by antibiotics (24.2%). Multivariate analysis showed that female gender (Odds Ratio (OR) 95% Confi- dence Interval (CI) (2.00 (1.25—3.21)), pyhsician-diagnosed allergic rhinitis (3.03 (1.64—5.59)), and eczema (3.22 (1.87—5.53)) were associated with any type of drug hypersensitivity reac- tions. Itching was associated with allergic rhinitis (4.50 (2.06—9.81)) and eczema diagnosis (4.24 (2.14—8.64)). Skin rash/hives were associated with female gender (2.67 (1.24—5.74)), aller- gic rhinitis (4.57 (1.99—10.05)), and eczema (5.36 (2.65—10.84)). Angio-oedema was higher in females (5.74 (1.69—18.5)). In addition, eczema (2.87 (1.12—7.32)) and systemic hypertension (2.60(1.03—6.10)) were associated with angio-oedema. Shortness of breath was only associated with ever asthma diagnosis (6.59 (2.09—20.83)). Factors associated with loss of consciousness were female gender (5.56 (1.27—24.30)), allergic rhinitis diagnosis (4.76 (1.73—13.14)), and systemic hypertension (2.74 (1.02—7.41)). Conclusion: The study showed that females and subjects with allergic diseases and hypertension were more susceptible to drug hypersensitivity reactions. © 2009 SEICAP. Published by Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved. ∗ Corresponding author. E-mail address: dremelkurt@yahoo.com (E. Kurt). 0301-0546/$ – see front matter © 2009 SEICAP. Published by Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.aller.2010.02.009