Penicillin Skin Testing Immunocompromised Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Patients with rheumatologic illness are at increased risk for infection by virtue of their immune dysregulation as well as use of immunosuppressive medications. Along with disease flares, infection is the leading cause of hospital admission in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)1. Complicating the care of these patients is the rate of patient-reported penicillin allergy, which has ranged 20-28% in the outpatient setting2-4, compared to the general population where the reported rate is ∼10% in the outpatient setting5, and ∼ 20% in the inpatient setting6.
Source: Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology - Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Tags: Letters Source Type: research