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How to Take a Good Clinical History in Cases of Allergic Reactions to Medications

García-Avilés C1,2*, Martín-Lázaro J2,3*, Gastaminza G2,4,5

1
Unidad de Alergia, Hospital Moncloa, Madrid, Spain
2Member of the Drug Allergy Committee of SEAIC
3Hospital Universitario Lucus Augusti, Lugo, Spain
4Departamento de Alergología, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
5Member ARADyAL (RD16/0006/0031)

J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol 2022; Vol 32(3) : 181-190
doi: 10.18176/jiaci.0819

The clinical history is the cornerstone of the doctor's work. When assessing patients consulting for a suspected hypersensitivity reaction to a drug, the details collected in the patient's clinical history are essential when deciding which tests to perform and for making recommendations about which drugs the patient should avoid and which can be taken. This area is especially important today, since many patients are labeled as allergic to drugs, especially penicillins, without this being the case. This article reviews the importance of the clinical history in a patient with a hypersensitivity reaction to a drug and considers which data should be collected. Likewise, a record-based model is proposed to help standardize the clinical history.

Key words: Clinical history, Allergy, Adverse drug reaction, Drug hypersensitivity, Diagnosis