TY  - JOUR
T1  - HOw predictive is a history of penicillin allergy?
AU  - Macy E
Y1  - 2001/09/12
N1  - 10.1001/jama.286.10.1173
JO  - JAMA
SP  - 1174
EP  - 1175
VL  - 286
IS  - 10
N2  - 
The history of penicillin allergy, including potential IgE-mediated
reactions such as anaphylaxis and hives, does not correlate with skin test
positivity,2 the closest test to a criterion
standard for allergy. Mild, possibly nonallergic reactions such as delayed-onset
rashes do not increase the probability of a negative skin test and a history
of anaphylaxis does not increase the odds of a positive test. The bottom line
is that penicillin allergy histories are too unreliable to rechallenge a patient
without documenting safety by penicillin skin testing first.

SN  - 0098-7484
M3  - doi: 10.1001/jama.286.10.1173
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.286.10.1173
ER  -