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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Assessment of the Prevalence of Proactive Penicillin Allergy Testing in Patients
Labeled as Penicillin Allergic in Dhanusadham District of Nepal
Rajesh Chandra Das1
*, Bibeka Nand Jha2
1
Department of Medicine, Janaki Medical College, Janakpurdham, Nepal, 2
Department of Dermatology, Janaki
Medical College, Janakpurdham, Nepal
Received: 10 April 2019; Revised: 15 May 2019; Accepted: 11 June 2019
ABSTRACT
This study aims to promote penicillin allergy testing in an outpatient to penicillin allergy and educate
both patients and clinicians about testing. Patients with a history of penicillin allergy were screened for
penicillin allergy testing. The results of allergy testing and patient satisfaction after testing were the main
outcomes. A total of 82 patients were recruited, although only 37 actually underwent testing. None of
these 37 had a positive skin test and none of 36 had a positive oral challenge (one refused it). Following
testing, 2 patients (5%) had subjective reactions within 24 h. Three (10%) were subsequently treated with
a beta-lactam, and all reported that testing provided important information to their medical history. In
conclusion, the penicillin allergy testing safely evaluates patients labeled as penicillin allergic. It is well
tolerated and embraced by the patients who undergo testing. In our study, none of the patients tested had
an allergic reaction, but we identified multiple barriers to developing a protocol for testing patients from
the primary care setting.
Keywords: Beta-lactam, patient safety, penicillin allergy, treatment protocol
INTRODUCTION
Penicillin is relatively inexpensive and the drug
of choice for several bacterial infections including
upper and lower respiratory tract infections,
meningococcal disease, syphilis, and anaerobic
infections. Allergy to penicillin is the most
commonly reported drug allergy in the USA and is
estimated to affect 7–10% of outpatient populations
and up to 20% of hospitalized patients.[1-3]
Relatively few of those individuals have had their
“penicillin allergy” verified and avoid the beta-
lactam group of antibiotics indefinitely. Recent
studies have indicated that 90% of those with
a positive history can tolerate penicillins.[4-9]
Possible explanations include the mislabeling of a
medication side effect or a disease manifestation.[2,4]
*Corresponding Author:
Dr. Rajesh Chandra Das,
E-mail: rajesh93chdas@gmail.com
Furthermore, penicillin allergy is known to wane in
most individuals overtime and up to 50% of skin
test – positive patients have lost their sensitivity
at 5 years and 80% at 10 years.[10,11]
Recently, the
associated morbidity of unverified penicillin allergy
has become increasingly recognized as a significant
public health problem. Hospitalized patients
labeled as penicillin allergic are more likely to
be treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics such
as vancomycin, quinolones, or third-generation
cephalosporins, all of which have been shown
to contribute to the development of antibiotic
resistance and Clostridium difficile infections.[1,12,13]
These patients also have increased complications
and require longer hospital stays, thereby increasing
medical costs.[14,15]
In addition, they may have
been told to avoid cephalosporins as well.[16]
This
recommendation is based on early reports, in which
patients were treated with cephalosporins with
similar side chains to penicillin, which are no longer
used, or based on testing with reagents contaminated
Available Online at www.ijpba.info
International Journal of Pharmaceutical  BiologicalArchives 2019; 10(3):196-201
ISSN 2581 – 4303
Das and Jha: Prevalence of Proactive Penicillin Allergy
IJPBA/Jul-Sep-2019/Vol 10/Issue 3 197
with penicillin.[17]
Current estimates of a penicillin-
allergic patient reacting to cephalosporins are
proposing that penicillin allergy testing should be
performed routinely in patients with self-reported
penicillin allergy.[18]
Penicillin skin prick testing
(SPT), intradermal testing (IDT), and oral challenge
(OC) are safe, well-studied, and validated methods
for assessing IgE-mediated penicillin allergy. Skin
testing (SPT and IDT) using the major determinant,
penicilloyl-polylysine, and the minor determinants,
penicilloate, penilloate, and penicillin G reduces
the number of OC reactions and has a negative
predictive value of 97–99%.[19,20]
In the USA,
penicilloate and penilloate are not commercially
available, but protocols using penicilloyl-polylysine
andpenicillinGperformwithsimilaraccuracywhen
combined with OC.[21]
An OC is the gold standard
to determine tolerance or confirm an IgE-mediated
penicillin allergy. Amoxicillin is typically used for
the challenge, as it is more frequently prescribed
and has an immunologically similar core structure
to penicillin. Penicillin allergy testing can be
easily done as an outpatient procedure by a trained
allergy specialist but remains underutilized. The
aims of this study were to evaluate the penicillin
allergy in an outpatient population and to promote
referral for testing by primary care physicians
(PCPs) by evaluating the incidence of true allergy
in those tested and determining patient satisfaction
following testing.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Adult patients from an academic internal
medicine and pediatrics practice with a history of
penicillin/amoxicillin allergy documented in the
electronic health record (EHR) were recruited for
the study. PCPs screened patients and determined
the accuracy of the allergy listing in the EHR, the
type of reaction reported by the patients, and their
interest in participating. Patients were then referred
to the Janaki Medical College for testing. Before
testing, patients were called by dermatologist to
review their history and current medications.
Exclusion criteria for testing included the following:
1.	Poorly controlled asthma or cardiovascular
disease.
2.	 History of severe cutaneous reactions attributed
to beta-lactams including Stevens–Johnson
syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, drug-
induced exfoliative dermatitis, or drug rash
with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms.
3.	 Serious non-IgE-mediated reactions including
hepatitis, hemolytic anemia, vasculitis, or
interstitial nephritis.
4.	
Use of medications that interfere with
testing and could not be stopped including
antihistamines, tricyclic antidepressants,
atypical antipsychotics, beta-blockers, or high-
dose oral glucocorticoids.
5.	 Pregnancy: On the day of testing, a thorough
clinical history was obtained including the age
at onset of reaction, drug implicated, details
of the reaction, and any treatment received.
Written informed consent was provided by
patients who agreed to undergo testing and be
included in the study.
Penicillin allergy testing process
The allergy testing consisted of the three-step
process. The two skin tests were performed
using the major determinant benzylpenicilloyl-
polylysine as instructed in the package insert; the
minor determinant, penicillin G (10,000 units/mL);
a histamine positive control; and a normal saline
negative control. SPT was performed on the volar
aspect of the patient’s forearm and reactions were
recorded after 15 
min. The Institutional Review
Board at Janaki Medical College approved this
study before patient recruitment and the study was
conducted from January 2018 to December 2018.
RESULTS
Demographics of study
Subjects from January 2018 to December 2018,
82 patients with a listing of penicillin allergy in the
EHR were recruited. Of the original 82 patients,
37 ultimately underwent penicillin allergy testing.
The most common reaction type was a rash in
20 
patients (54.1%), while 10 
(27%) reported
hives and 2 (5.4%) had reactions consistent with
anaphylaxis. Allergy testing of the 37 
patients
Das and Jha: Prevalence of Proactive Penicillin Allergy
IJPBA/Jul-Sep-2019/Vol 10/Issue 3 198
tested, all had negative results on skin testing (SPT
and IDT). Thirty-six patients were challenged
with an oral dose of amoxicillin and none reacted.
One patient opted not to undergo the OC. During
the telephone follow-up, 1 
week after testing,
two patients reported delayed symptoms, with
one describing lightheadedness, pruritus, and
sweating 4 h after testing and the other describing
lightheadedness the day after testing. Both patient’s
symptoms were determined to be subjective and
unlikely a delayed hypersensitivity or immunologic
reaction.
Subject follow-up
Thirty-one patients (83.7% of those tested)
completed the 6–month follow-up questionnaire.
Eleven (36.6%) required antibiotics during that
time. Three (10%) of that group were treated with
amoxicillin and none reported a reaction. All 31
subjects thought that undergoing evaluation for
penicillin allergy provided valuable information to
their medical history and 28 (90%) reported that
they would take penicillin/amoxicillin in the future
if prescribed.
Provider survey
Seven of 8 (87.5%) referring physicians completed
the online survey. According to their estimates,
most physicians (83%) asked half of their patients
with penicillin/amoxicillin allergy to participate
but did not take the time to discuss testing during
the patient visit.
DISCUSSION
Penicillin allergy testing is a well-tolerated,
reliable procedure used to evaluate patients
for IgE-mediated sensitivity to penicillin.[4,21,22]
Ideally, testing should be performed to confirm the
allergy soon after the reaction, but this is rarely the
case and patients carry the diagnosis of penicillin
allergy indefinitely. In this study, no patient had a
positive skin test or an immediate reaction during
or after the OC with amoxicillin.[23-25]
These results
are lower than in the previous studies of penicillin
allergy testing, in which the percentage of positive
skin tests ranged from 9.5 to 28.6%.[8,26-28]
For
instance, in a large, prospective study from
Australia, of 401 patients referred for evaluation of
β-lactam allergy, 42 (12.3%) tested positive. In this
study, skin testing was more likely to be positive
in those tested within 6 months of an immediate
reaction.[26]
In contrast, the reactions reported by
most of our patients occurred over 20 years before.
It is likely that those with the most recent and most
dramatic reactions chose not to participate or were
not asked by their physicians. Few studies have
taken a proactive approach, i.e. with the explicit
goal of enabling those with negative tests to receive
penicillins. Macy et al. performed allergy testing
on 228 hospitalized patients with a penicillin
allergy identified.[21]
Two hundred and twenty-
three (90.5%) tested negative and had penicillin
allergy removed from the EHR. Following negative
testing, 77 patients (34%) initiated therapy with a
penicillin or cephalosporin while admitted and an
additional 8 (3.6%) were prescribed a β-lactam
at discharge. To the best of our knowledge, this
study is the first to work in cooperation with PCPs
to proactively evaluate an outpatient population
for penicillin allergy and assess outcomes after
testing. Most patients embraced testing and
reported that it provided valuable information to
their medical history. Unfortunately, providers
came across several barriers to patient referral, the
most important being lack of time (both on the part
of the physician and patient). Despite safe, well-
established protocols and the low prevalence of
confirmed penicillin allergy in those who undergo
testing, very few individuals ever have their allergy
evaluated. In the USA, it is estimated that fewer
than 15,000 people undergo testing for penicillin
allergy annually.[29]
Reasons for the low rate of
testing may include lack of provider knowledge,
limited access to an allergist, and worry about
testing related reactions. In particular, studies have
shown that non-allergist physicians have a poor
understanding of penicillin allergy.[30,31]
Asurvey of
inpatient providers evaluating baseline knowledge
of drug allergies found that 42% of respondents had
no prior education in drug allergies. Following the
implementation of an educational program with an
Das and Jha: Prevalence of Proactive Penicillin Allergy
IJPBA/Jul-Sep-2019/Vol 10/Issue 3 199
accompanying hospital-wide guideline, there was a
significant increase in penicillin allergy knowledge,
including knowledge of allergy testing and loss of
clinical reactivity overtime.[32]
Following negative
penicillin allergy testing, it is important to educate
both patients and their physicians about the results.
In our study, the results and their implications were
reviewed in detail with the patients immediately
after testing and a results letter was provided to
both the patient and their PCP. The information
in the letter was reiterated during their subsequent
follow-up. Furthermore, after negative testing, it is
important to update the drug allergy history in the
EHR and to verify this at each patient encounter.
Rimawi et al. found that 36% of hospitalized
patients had penicillin allergy redocumented in
their charts in spite of negative skin testing.[33]
Risk factors for redocumentation included history
of dementia, acute altered mental status, age
65 
years, and residence in a long-term care
facility. Patient education, automated alerts in the
EHR, and notification of the patients’ pharmacies
and/or long-term care facilities may help prevent
this. A large percentage of patients in this study
reported that they would take penicillin/amoxicillin
in the future if prescribed, and none of the patients
who received a β-lactam following testing had
a reaction. Aside from patient satisfaction, the
benefits of implementing a penicillin allergy
testing protocol in the outpatient setting include
cost savings, reduction in complications, and
drug-resistant infections. The previous studies
evaluating short-term cost savings following
penicillin allergy testing in the inpatient setting
have found savings of $225–$297 per patient
while hospitalized.[15,34]
In a natural history study of
elective penicillin skin testing in advance of need,
236 patients were followed for a year after allergy
testing. In those with negative testing, 93 patients
received at least one penicillin. Furthermore, the
total cost for antibiotics fell 32% from $17,211.88
to $11,648.27, with a roughly 6% reduction
in average cost per antibiotic.[35]
Patients and
physicians may worry about the theoretical risk of
resensitization. However, they should be reassured
that the rate of resensitization in previously allergic
patients with negative skin testing is approximately
3%. This is similar to the rate of reaction in the
general population. Repeat testing in the future is,
therefore, generally not necessary.[22,30]
This study identified multiple barriers that need
to be overcome to achieve large-scale penicillin
allergy testing. First, the identification and
recruitment of patients with presumed penicillin
allergy can become a routine part of office
procedures. However, adopting these procedures
takes time and was occurring as our study was
coming to an end. Second, the reticence of the
patients – including fear of suffering a reaction
during the testing or later, lack of appreciation of
the benefits of negative testing, and unwillingness
or inability to take the time needed for testing.
These issues can be addressed by more effective
education by their PCPs, by making testing less
threatening, more convenient, and accessible.
Studies have shown that low-risk patients such as
those with non-immediate reactions occurring over
1 h after dosing or those with reactions localized to
the skin may be able to undergo direct OC without
skin testing.[36,37]
This involves administration of a
partial dose (usually 1/10th
) followed by a full dose
with an hour of observation after each dose. While
direct OCs might, in theory, make it easier to test
patients in primary care offices, they still need to
be done under the guidance of an allergy specialist
and someone trained in treating immediate drug
reactions.
Limitations
This study had several limitations, some that were
anticipated and others that were noted along the
way. First, the study is limited by its small sample
size and by the large percentage of patients, who
despite being recruited by their PCPs, either never
scheduled testing or did not show up after being
scheduled. Improved procedures for referral and
the implementation of penicillin allergy clinic
days, in which an allergist has dedicated hours at
a primary care facility, may improve this. Second,
our patients were, as a consequence of who was
asked and who agreed to participate, at low risk
of having a positive test. Yet freeing even low-risk
patients of the label of allergy to penicillin is of
Das and Jha: Prevalence of Proactive Penicillin Allergy
IJPBA/Jul-Sep-2019/Vol 10/Issue 3 200
great value. Third, the study included only adults,
but children may have longer term benefits and
more cost savings by having their penicillin allergy
evaluated earlier in life. Fourth, the study took
place at a single academic center with an affiliated
allergy practice that could easily perform allergy
testing, which may limit its generalizability. Last,
we followed patients for only a short period of
time after testing. Consequently, we were not able
to evaluate the impact of negative allergy testing
on future antibiotic selection and on subsequent
health-care costs.
CONCLUSION
The label of penicillin allergy is common and
associated with increased morbidity and cost but is
rarely evaluated. Penicillin allergy testing is a safe
and effective way of identifying an IgE-mediated
sensitivity to penicillin and its derivatives. Our
study showed that a proactive penicillin allergy
testing protocol safely confirmed tolerance to
penicillin in all who were tested. It was embraced
by the patients and led to changes in antibiotic
prescription by prescribers, but several barriers
were noted during the study that limited patient
recruitment. In the future, a large-scale proactive
approach to evaluating patients with a history of
penicillin allergy should become a regular part of
primary care with the expectation that it will reduce
morbidity and medical costs overtime and be well
accepted by both providers and patients.
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Assessment of the Prevalence of Proactive Penicillin Allergy Testing in Patients Labeled as Penicillin Allergic in Dhanusadham District of Nepal

  • 1. © 2019, IJPBA. All Rights Reserved 196 RESEARCH ARTICLE Assessment of the Prevalence of Proactive Penicillin Allergy Testing in Patients Labeled as Penicillin Allergic in Dhanusadham District of Nepal Rajesh Chandra Das1 *, Bibeka Nand Jha2 1 Department of Medicine, Janaki Medical College, Janakpurdham, Nepal, 2 Department of Dermatology, Janaki Medical College, Janakpurdham, Nepal Received: 10 April 2019; Revised: 15 May 2019; Accepted: 11 June 2019 ABSTRACT This study aims to promote penicillin allergy testing in an outpatient to penicillin allergy and educate both patients and clinicians about testing. Patients with a history of penicillin allergy were screened for penicillin allergy testing. The results of allergy testing and patient satisfaction after testing were the main outcomes. A total of 82 patients were recruited, although only 37 actually underwent testing. None of these 37 had a positive skin test and none of 36 had a positive oral challenge (one refused it). Following testing, 2 patients (5%) had subjective reactions within 24 h. Three (10%) were subsequently treated with a beta-lactam, and all reported that testing provided important information to their medical history. In conclusion, the penicillin allergy testing safely evaluates patients labeled as penicillin allergic. It is well tolerated and embraced by the patients who undergo testing. In our study, none of the patients tested had an allergic reaction, but we identified multiple barriers to developing a protocol for testing patients from the primary care setting. Keywords: Beta-lactam, patient safety, penicillin allergy, treatment protocol INTRODUCTION Penicillin is relatively inexpensive and the drug of choice for several bacterial infections including upper and lower respiratory tract infections, meningococcal disease, syphilis, and anaerobic infections. Allergy to penicillin is the most commonly reported drug allergy in the USA and is estimated to affect 7–10% of outpatient populations and up to 20% of hospitalized patients.[1-3] Relatively few of those individuals have had their “penicillin allergy” verified and avoid the beta- lactam group of antibiotics indefinitely. Recent studies have indicated that 90% of those with a positive history can tolerate penicillins.[4-9] Possible explanations include the mislabeling of a medication side effect or a disease manifestation.[2,4] *Corresponding Author: Dr. Rajesh Chandra Das, E-mail: rajesh93chdas@gmail.com Furthermore, penicillin allergy is known to wane in most individuals overtime and up to 50% of skin test – positive patients have lost their sensitivity at 5 years and 80% at 10 years.[10,11] Recently, the associated morbidity of unverified penicillin allergy has become increasingly recognized as a significant public health problem. Hospitalized patients labeled as penicillin allergic are more likely to be treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics such as vancomycin, quinolones, or third-generation cephalosporins, all of which have been shown to contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance and Clostridium difficile infections.[1,12,13] These patients also have increased complications and require longer hospital stays, thereby increasing medical costs.[14,15] In addition, they may have been told to avoid cephalosporins as well.[16] This recommendation is based on early reports, in which patients were treated with cephalosporins with similar side chains to penicillin, which are no longer used, or based on testing with reagents contaminated Available Online at www.ijpba.info International Journal of Pharmaceutical BiologicalArchives 2019; 10(3):196-201 ISSN 2581 – 4303
  • 2. Das and Jha: Prevalence of Proactive Penicillin Allergy IJPBA/Jul-Sep-2019/Vol 10/Issue 3 197 with penicillin.[17] Current estimates of a penicillin- allergic patient reacting to cephalosporins are proposing that penicillin allergy testing should be performed routinely in patients with self-reported penicillin allergy.[18] Penicillin skin prick testing (SPT), intradermal testing (IDT), and oral challenge (OC) are safe, well-studied, and validated methods for assessing IgE-mediated penicillin allergy. Skin testing (SPT and IDT) using the major determinant, penicilloyl-polylysine, and the minor determinants, penicilloate, penilloate, and penicillin G reduces the number of OC reactions and has a negative predictive value of 97–99%.[19,20] In the USA, penicilloate and penilloate are not commercially available, but protocols using penicilloyl-polylysine andpenicillinGperformwithsimilaraccuracywhen combined with OC.[21] An OC is the gold standard to determine tolerance or confirm an IgE-mediated penicillin allergy. Amoxicillin is typically used for the challenge, as it is more frequently prescribed and has an immunologically similar core structure to penicillin. Penicillin allergy testing can be easily done as an outpatient procedure by a trained allergy specialist but remains underutilized. The aims of this study were to evaluate the penicillin allergy in an outpatient population and to promote referral for testing by primary care physicians (PCPs) by evaluating the incidence of true allergy in those tested and determining patient satisfaction following testing. MATERIALS AND METHODS Adult patients from an academic internal medicine and pediatrics practice with a history of penicillin/amoxicillin allergy documented in the electronic health record (EHR) were recruited for the study. PCPs screened patients and determined the accuracy of the allergy listing in the EHR, the type of reaction reported by the patients, and their interest in participating. Patients were then referred to the Janaki Medical College for testing. Before testing, patients were called by dermatologist to review their history and current medications. Exclusion criteria for testing included the following: 1. Poorly controlled asthma or cardiovascular disease. 2. History of severe cutaneous reactions attributed to beta-lactams including Stevens–Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, drug- induced exfoliative dermatitis, or drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms. 3. Serious non-IgE-mediated reactions including hepatitis, hemolytic anemia, vasculitis, or interstitial nephritis. 4. Use of medications that interfere with testing and could not be stopped including antihistamines, tricyclic antidepressants, atypical antipsychotics, beta-blockers, or high- dose oral glucocorticoids. 5. Pregnancy: On the day of testing, a thorough clinical history was obtained including the age at onset of reaction, drug implicated, details of the reaction, and any treatment received. Written informed consent was provided by patients who agreed to undergo testing and be included in the study. Penicillin allergy testing process The allergy testing consisted of the three-step process. The two skin tests were performed using the major determinant benzylpenicilloyl- polylysine as instructed in the package insert; the minor determinant, penicillin G (10,000 units/mL); a histamine positive control; and a normal saline negative control. SPT was performed on the volar aspect of the patient’s forearm and reactions were recorded after 15  min. The Institutional Review Board at Janaki Medical College approved this study before patient recruitment and the study was conducted from January 2018 to December 2018. RESULTS Demographics of study Subjects from January 2018 to December 2018, 82 patients with a listing of penicillin allergy in the EHR were recruited. Of the original 82 patients, 37 ultimately underwent penicillin allergy testing. The most common reaction type was a rash in 20  patients (54.1%), while 10  (27%) reported hives and 2 (5.4%) had reactions consistent with anaphylaxis. Allergy testing of the 37  patients
  • 3. Das and Jha: Prevalence of Proactive Penicillin Allergy IJPBA/Jul-Sep-2019/Vol 10/Issue 3 198 tested, all had negative results on skin testing (SPT and IDT). Thirty-six patients were challenged with an oral dose of amoxicillin and none reacted. One patient opted not to undergo the OC. During the telephone follow-up, 1  week after testing, two patients reported delayed symptoms, with one describing lightheadedness, pruritus, and sweating 4 h after testing and the other describing lightheadedness the day after testing. Both patient’s symptoms were determined to be subjective and unlikely a delayed hypersensitivity or immunologic reaction. Subject follow-up Thirty-one patients (83.7% of those tested) completed the 6–month follow-up questionnaire. Eleven (36.6%) required antibiotics during that time. Three (10%) of that group were treated with amoxicillin and none reported a reaction. All 31 subjects thought that undergoing evaluation for penicillin allergy provided valuable information to their medical history and 28 (90%) reported that they would take penicillin/amoxicillin in the future if prescribed. Provider survey Seven of 8 (87.5%) referring physicians completed the online survey. According to their estimates, most physicians (83%) asked half of their patients with penicillin/amoxicillin allergy to participate but did not take the time to discuss testing during the patient visit. DISCUSSION Penicillin allergy testing is a well-tolerated, reliable procedure used to evaluate patients for IgE-mediated sensitivity to penicillin.[4,21,22] Ideally, testing should be performed to confirm the allergy soon after the reaction, but this is rarely the case and patients carry the diagnosis of penicillin allergy indefinitely. In this study, no patient had a positive skin test or an immediate reaction during or after the OC with amoxicillin.[23-25] These results are lower than in the previous studies of penicillin allergy testing, in which the percentage of positive skin tests ranged from 9.5 to 28.6%.[8,26-28] For instance, in a large, prospective study from Australia, of 401 patients referred for evaluation of β-lactam allergy, 42 (12.3%) tested positive. In this study, skin testing was more likely to be positive in those tested within 6 months of an immediate reaction.[26] In contrast, the reactions reported by most of our patients occurred over 20 years before. It is likely that those with the most recent and most dramatic reactions chose not to participate or were not asked by their physicians. Few studies have taken a proactive approach, i.e. with the explicit goal of enabling those with negative tests to receive penicillins. Macy et al. performed allergy testing on 228 hospitalized patients with a penicillin allergy identified.[21] Two hundred and twenty- three (90.5%) tested negative and had penicillin allergy removed from the EHR. Following negative testing, 77 patients (34%) initiated therapy with a penicillin or cephalosporin while admitted and an additional 8 (3.6%) were prescribed a β-lactam at discharge. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to work in cooperation with PCPs to proactively evaluate an outpatient population for penicillin allergy and assess outcomes after testing. Most patients embraced testing and reported that it provided valuable information to their medical history. Unfortunately, providers came across several barriers to patient referral, the most important being lack of time (both on the part of the physician and patient). Despite safe, well- established protocols and the low prevalence of confirmed penicillin allergy in those who undergo testing, very few individuals ever have their allergy evaluated. In the USA, it is estimated that fewer than 15,000 people undergo testing for penicillin allergy annually.[29] Reasons for the low rate of testing may include lack of provider knowledge, limited access to an allergist, and worry about testing related reactions. In particular, studies have shown that non-allergist physicians have a poor understanding of penicillin allergy.[30,31] Asurvey of inpatient providers evaluating baseline knowledge of drug allergies found that 42% of respondents had no prior education in drug allergies. Following the implementation of an educational program with an
  • 4. Das and Jha: Prevalence of Proactive Penicillin Allergy IJPBA/Jul-Sep-2019/Vol 10/Issue 3 199 accompanying hospital-wide guideline, there was a significant increase in penicillin allergy knowledge, including knowledge of allergy testing and loss of clinical reactivity overtime.[32] Following negative penicillin allergy testing, it is important to educate both patients and their physicians about the results. In our study, the results and their implications were reviewed in detail with the patients immediately after testing and a results letter was provided to both the patient and their PCP. The information in the letter was reiterated during their subsequent follow-up. Furthermore, after negative testing, it is important to update the drug allergy history in the EHR and to verify this at each patient encounter. Rimawi et al. found that 36% of hospitalized patients had penicillin allergy redocumented in their charts in spite of negative skin testing.[33] Risk factors for redocumentation included history of dementia, acute altered mental status, age 65  years, and residence in a long-term care facility. Patient education, automated alerts in the EHR, and notification of the patients’ pharmacies and/or long-term care facilities may help prevent this. A large percentage of patients in this study reported that they would take penicillin/amoxicillin in the future if prescribed, and none of the patients who received a β-lactam following testing had a reaction. Aside from patient satisfaction, the benefits of implementing a penicillin allergy testing protocol in the outpatient setting include cost savings, reduction in complications, and drug-resistant infections. The previous studies evaluating short-term cost savings following penicillin allergy testing in the inpatient setting have found savings of $225–$297 per patient while hospitalized.[15,34] In a natural history study of elective penicillin skin testing in advance of need, 236 patients were followed for a year after allergy testing. In those with negative testing, 93 patients received at least one penicillin. Furthermore, the total cost for antibiotics fell 32% from $17,211.88 to $11,648.27, with a roughly 6% reduction in average cost per antibiotic.[35] Patients and physicians may worry about the theoretical risk of resensitization. However, they should be reassured that the rate of resensitization in previously allergic patients with negative skin testing is approximately 3%. This is similar to the rate of reaction in the general population. Repeat testing in the future is, therefore, generally not necessary.[22,30] This study identified multiple barriers that need to be overcome to achieve large-scale penicillin allergy testing. First, the identification and recruitment of patients with presumed penicillin allergy can become a routine part of office procedures. However, adopting these procedures takes time and was occurring as our study was coming to an end. Second, the reticence of the patients – including fear of suffering a reaction during the testing or later, lack of appreciation of the benefits of negative testing, and unwillingness or inability to take the time needed for testing. These issues can be addressed by more effective education by their PCPs, by making testing less threatening, more convenient, and accessible. Studies have shown that low-risk patients such as those with non-immediate reactions occurring over 1 h after dosing or those with reactions localized to the skin may be able to undergo direct OC without skin testing.[36,37] This involves administration of a partial dose (usually 1/10th ) followed by a full dose with an hour of observation after each dose. While direct OCs might, in theory, make it easier to test patients in primary care offices, they still need to be done under the guidance of an allergy specialist and someone trained in treating immediate drug reactions. Limitations This study had several limitations, some that were anticipated and others that were noted along the way. First, the study is limited by its small sample size and by the large percentage of patients, who despite being recruited by their PCPs, either never scheduled testing or did not show up after being scheduled. Improved procedures for referral and the implementation of penicillin allergy clinic days, in which an allergist has dedicated hours at a primary care facility, may improve this. Second, our patients were, as a consequence of who was asked and who agreed to participate, at low risk of having a positive test. Yet freeing even low-risk patients of the label of allergy to penicillin is of
  • 5. Das and Jha: Prevalence of Proactive Penicillin Allergy IJPBA/Jul-Sep-2019/Vol 10/Issue 3 200 great value. Third, the study included only adults, but children may have longer term benefits and more cost savings by having their penicillin allergy evaluated earlier in life. Fourth, the study took place at a single academic center with an affiliated allergy practice that could easily perform allergy testing, which may limit its generalizability. Last, we followed patients for only a short period of time after testing. Consequently, we were not able to evaluate the impact of negative allergy testing on future antibiotic selection and on subsequent health-care costs. CONCLUSION The label of penicillin allergy is common and associated with increased morbidity and cost but is rarely evaluated. Penicillin allergy testing is a safe and effective way of identifying an IgE-mediated sensitivity to penicillin and its derivatives. Our study showed that a proactive penicillin allergy testing protocol safely confirmed tolerance to penicillin in all who were tested. It was embraced by the patients and led to changes in antibiotic prescription by prescribers, but several barriers were noted during the study that limited patient recruitment. In the future, a large-scale proactive approach to evaluating patients with a history of penicillin allergy should become a regular part of primary care with the expectation that it will reduce morbidity and medical costs overtime and be well accepted by both providers and patients. REFERENCES 1. Macy E, Contreras R. Health care use and serious infection prevalence associated with penicillin “allergy” in hospitalized patients: A cohort study. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2014;133:790-6. 2. Khan DA, Solensky R. Drug allergy. J  Allergy Clin Immunol 2010;125:S126-37. 3. Albin S, Agarwal S. Prevalence and characteristics of reported penicillin allergy in an urban outpatient adult population. Allergy Asthma Proc 2014;35:489-94. 4. Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, Joint Council of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Drug allergy: An updated practice parameter. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2010;105:259-73. 5. Borch JE, Andersen KE, Bindslev-Jensen C. The prevalence of suspected and challenge-verified penicillin allergy in a university hospital population. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol 2006;98:357-62. 6. Silva R, Cruz L, Botelho C, Castro E, Cadinha S, Castel-Branco MG, et al. Immediate hypersensitivity to penicillins with negative skin tests the value of specific IgE. Eur Ann Allergy Clin Immunol 2009;41:117-9. 7. Bousquet PJ, Pipet A, Bousquet-Rouanet L, Demoly P. Oralchallengesareneededinthediagnosisofbeta-lactam hypersensitivity. Clin Exp Allergy 2008;38:185‑90. 8. Sagar PS, Katelaris CH. Utility of penicillin allergy testing in patients presenting with a history of penicillin allergy. Asia Pac Allergy 2013;3:115-9. 9. Macy E, Schatz M, Lin C, Poon KY. The falling rate of positive penicillin skin tests from 1995 to 2007. Perm J 2009;13:12-8. 10. Blanca M, Torres MJ, García JJ, Romano A, Mayorga C, deRamonE,etal.Naturalevolutionofskintestsensitivity in patients allergic to beta-lactam antibiotics. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1999;103:918-24. 11. Picard M, Paradis L, Bégin P, Paradis J, Des Roches A. Skin testing only with penicillin G in children with a historyofpenicillinallergy.AnnAllergyAsthmaImmunol 2014;113:75-81. 12. Picard M, Bégin P, Bouchard H, Cloutier J, Lacombe- Barrios J, Paradis J, et al. Treatment of patients with a history of penicillin allergy in a large tertiary-care academic hospital. J  Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2013;1:252-7. 13. Lee CE, Zembower TR, Fotis MA, Postelnick MJ, Greenberger PA, Peterson LR, et al. The incidence of antimicrobial allergies in hospitalized patients: Implications regarding prescribing patterns and emerging bacterial resistance. Arch Intern Med 2000;160:2819-22. 14. Sade K, Holtzer I, Levo Y, Kivity S. The economic burden of antibiotic treatment of penicillin-allergic patients in internal medicine wards of a general tertiary care hospital. Clin Exp Allergy 2003;33:501-6. 15. King EA, Challa S, Curtin P, Bielory L. Penicillin skin testing in hospitalized patients with β-lactam allergies: Effect on antibiotic selection and cost. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2016;117:67-71. 16. Batchelor FR, Dewdney JM, Weston RD, Wheeler AW. The immunogenicity of cephalosporin derivatives and their cross-reaction with penicillin. Immunology 1966;10:21-33. 17. Gralnick HR, Wright LD Jr., McGinniss MH. Coombs’ positive reactions associated with sodium cephalothin therapy. JAMA 1967;199:725-6. 18. Penicillin Allergy in Antibiotic Resistance Workgroup. 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  • 6. Das and Jha: Prevalence of Proactive Penicillin Allergy IJPBA/Jul-Sep-2019/Vol 10/Issue 3 201 J Allergy Clin Immunol 2003;111:1111-5. 20. Sogn DD, Evans R 3rd , Shepherd GM, Casale TB, Condemi J, Greenberger PA, et al. Results of the national institute of allergy and infectious diseases collaborative clinicaltrialtotestthepredictivevalueofskintestingwith major and minor penicillin derivatives in hospitalized adults. Arch Intern Med 1992;152:1025‑32. 21. Macy E, Ngor EW. Safely diagnosing clinically significant penicillin allergy using only penicilloyl-poly- lysine, penicillin, and oral amoxicillin. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2013;1:258-63. 22. Unger NR, Gauthier TP, Cheung LW. Penicillin skin testing: Potential implications for antimicrobial stewardship. Pharmacotherapy 2013;33:856-67. 23. Romano A, Guéant-Rodriguez RM, Viola M, Pettinato R, Guéant JL. Cross-reactivity and tolerability of cephalosporins in patients with immediate hypersensitivity to penicillins. Ann Intern Med 2004;141:16-22. 24. Medicine ABoI; 2014. Available from: http://www. choosingwisely.org/doctor-patient-lists/american- academy-ofallergy-asthma-immunology. [Last accessed on 2019 Jan 19]. 25. Barlam TF, Cosgrove SE, Abbo LM, MacDougall C, Schuetz AN, Septimus EJ, et al. Executive summary: Implementing an antibiotic stewardship program: Guidelines by the infectious diseases society of America and the society for healthcare epidemiology of America. Clin Infect Dis 2016;62:1197-202. 26. Bourke J, Pavlos R, James I, Phillips E. Improving the effectiveness of penicillin allergy de-labeling. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2015;3:365-34. 27. Meng J, Thursfield D, Lukawska JJ. Allergy test outcomes in patients self-reported as having penicillin allergy: Two-year experience. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2016;117:273-9. 28. Chen JR, Tarver SA, Alvarez KS, Tran T, Khan DA. A  proactive approach to penicillin allergy testing in hospitalized patients. J  Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2017;5:686-93. 29. Macy E. Penicillin allergy: Optimizing diagnostic protocols, public health implications, and future research needs. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol 2015;15:308-13. 30. Bittner A, Greenberger PA. Incidence of resensitization after tolerating penicillin treatment in penicillin-allergic patients. Allergy Asthma Proc 2004;25:161-4. 31. Puchner TC Jr., Zacharisen MC. A survey of antibiotic prescribing and knowledge of penicillin allergy. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2002;88:24-9. 32. Blumenthal KG, Shenoy ES, Hurwitz S, Varughese CA, Hooper DC, Banerji A, et al. Effect of a drug allergy educational program and antibiotic prescribing guideline on inpatient clinical providers’ antibiotic prescribing knowledge. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2014;2:407-13. 33. Rimawi RH, Shah KB, Cook PP. Risk of redocumenting penicillin allergy in a cohort of patients with negative penicillin skin tests. J Hosp Med 2013;8:615-8. 34. Rimawi RH, Cook PP, Gooch M, Kabchi B, Ashraf MS, Rimawi BH, et al. The impact of penicillin skin testing on clinical practice and antimicrobial stewardship. J Hosp Med 2013;8:341-5. 35. Macy E. Elective penicillin skin testing and amoxicillin challenge: Effect on outpatient antibiotic use, cost, and clinical outcomes. J  Allergy Clin Immunol 1998;102:281-5. 36. Confino-Cohen R, Rosman Y, Meir-Shafrir K, Stauber T, Lachover-Roth I, Hershko A, et al. Oral challenge without skin testing safely excludes clinically significant delayed-onset penicillin hypersensitivity. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2017;5:669-75. 37. Mill C, Primeau MN, Medoff E, Lejtenyi C, O’Keefe A, Netchiporouk E, et al.Assessing the diagnostic properties of a graded oral provocation challenge for the diagnosis of immediate and nonimmediate reactions to amoxicillin in children. JAMA Pediatr 2016;170:e160033.