The Allergy Family History: A Key Component to Diagnosing an Allergic Condition

Family history plays a large role in diagnosing allergies.

Many chronic medical conditions may stem from underlying allergic process: rhinitis, asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis, atopic dermatitis, otitis, conjunctivitis, headache, GI problems and, of course, drug allergies and anaphylaxis. Your physical exam— along with allergy testing — can often help make a specific diagnosis. However the diagnosis begins before you get there. The History is always a key element in the diagnostic process. I have found that, in regards to allergy, the Family History may be the most important component of all.

Allergic diseases have a clear genetic link. While the exact transmission of allergies has not been precisely defined, medical research has demonstrated a strong familial relationship. Allergic parents tend to have allergic children. It makes sense that allergic asthma follows the same pattern. In fact the greatest predictor of childhood asthma is not IgE levels or any other specific allergy skin or blood test; it’s maternal asthma.

IgE-mediated allergic disease can manifest with a variety of presentations. I always ask my patients if anyone in their immediate family — parents, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and don’t forget the patient’s own children — has allergies. You sometimes have to give them a nudge by specifically mentioning sinus disease, skin rashes, asthma or allergy to Penicillin. Each of these are indicators of IgE-mediated disease in the family.

I have found the link to be so strong, in fact, that when a patient presents to me with asthma and no family history of allergy, I have doubts. If they had no immediate relatives with allergy, I perform an extra careful search for a non-allergic source for their respiratory symptoms. Of course, I still investigate the allergy angle for the sake of completeness and the possibility that their family members have not been properly diagnosed. But if the family history is truly allergy-free, there is generally another source for the patient’s symptoms, such as Alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency — an enzyme deficiency that can mimic asthma and bronchitis.

Patients often ask, “My mother (or father) has a specific food or drug allergy, do I need to avoid that product?” The patient has no symptoms but the parent has a terrible reaction to a food or medicine. This is tricky. My advice is to be vigilant! We are not identical replicas of either of our parents but it is wise to be on the alert for any symptoms of allergy to parents’ severe triggers and to avoid the offender at the first hint of a symptom. This recommendation is consistent with my frequently-lectured theme to medical students and patients alike: allergic sensitization occurs after repeated exposure. Sometimes it takes several exposures before the body’s IgE response erupts in a clinical reaction.

We can’t escape our genetics, but we can limit or avoid potential allergen exposures. This holiday season of Christmas, Hanukah and Kwanzaa, when surrounded by family, it might be a good idea to ask around and complete your own Allergy Family History!

Dr. Dean Mitchell

Drug Allergy: Essentials to Recognize in your Practice, Part 1

Miley Cyrus was reportedly hospitalized for a drug allergic reaction. Though I don’t know the facts of her case, I do know that drug allergy is probably over-reported by patients and possibly under-diagnosed by physicians. Confused? Let me explain.

An allergic reaction to a drug happens by the same mechanism as all other allergic reactions. It occurs when the hapten, the allergenic component of the drug, induces an immune reaction. This immune response can take place as any one of the four classic Gel-Coombs types of immune reactions. It is important to understand this concept because patient presentation can differ if it is an immediate IgE hypersensitivity reaction versus a delayed type reaction. The classic example is true penicillin allergy. A patient presents with a sore throat with white patches on the tonsils and is diagnosed with Strep pharyngitis. He is given a prescription for penicillin – which he has taken before without a problem – and on his first or second dose develops a urticarial rash and wheezing. This is an immediate type IgE immune reaction. The patient should be taken off the penicillin because continuing the antibiotic would potentially lead to life-threatening anaphylaxis. If this patient came to your office several years later with an infectious process, it would clearly be important to choose a non-penicillin-based antibiotic.

This patient’s case is straightforward. But many patients give a nebulous history of a penicillin-allergic reaction. Typically they say, “I was told as a child by my mother I was allergic to penicillin” or, “I may have had some type of rash, but no one really remembers.” Often what actually happened was that the child had a typical rash-causing viral infection. The parent took the child to the doctor before the viral rash developed, and he put the patient on penicillin for presumed bacterial pharyngitis or otitis. When the inevitable rash appeared, the antibiotic was blamed. The problem with this common scenario is that penicillin and its derivatives are safe, useful, and inexpensive, and they are often the best choice for first-line antibiotics. Lacking a clear history, but possessing the patient’s report of “allergy,” you feel obligated to avoid the penicillins.

The other problem with the penicillin allergy diagnosis is the 10% incidence of cephalosporin allergy in true penicillin-allergic patients. As a result, many doctors refuse to prescribe cephalosporins in reportedly penicillin-allergic patients. This is the conundrum in private practice: patients over-diagnose themselves with penicillin allergy and we as physicians are left with limited antibiotic choices despite the fact that many of these patients are not truly allergic.

The signs of an immediate allergic reaction to any drug are: urticarial (hives), angioedema (swelling), dyspnea (shortness of breath) and gastrointestinal distress (vomiting or bloody diarrhea). You may see just one symptom or a combination, which can indicate the potential for a dangerous drug-allergic reaction. I recommend that you carefully document the patient’s history of drug reaction(s) to ensure that true drug allergy is identified but he or she is not erroneously labeled “penicillin-allergic.” For definitive diagnosis, talk to your AllerVision Allergy Care Consultant about the Pre-Pen test for penicillin allergy.

In part 2 of this series I will discuss the serious delayed reactions that occur with different drug allergies.

– Dr. Dean Mitchell