Title: Presumed “sulfa allergy” in patients with intracranial hypertension treated with acetazolamide or furosemide: cross-reactivity, myth or reality? - ScienceDirect
Headings: Presumed “sulfa allergy” in patients with intracranial hypertension treated with acetazolamide or furosemide: cross-reactivity, myth or reality?
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American Journal of Ophthalmology
Original article
Presumed “sulfa allergy” in patients with intracranial hypertension treated with acetazolamide or furosemide: cross-reactivity, myth or reality? ☆
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Content: These eight patients were included in our study because they had self-reported sulfa allergy and received acetazolamide or furosemide therapy (or both). The nature of the self-reported sulfa allergic reaction was documented in 79% of the 34 patients. These presumed allergic reactions included urticarial rash (44%), nonspecified rash (13%), dyspnea (12%), swelling (9%), nausea or vomiting (6%), throat swelling (3%), red eye (3%), weakness (3%), and bullae (3%). Some patients noted more than one of these reactions. In addition, 7 patients (21%) reported a sulfa allergy, but the specific allergic reaction was not documented in the chart. Of the 27 patients who received acetazolamide and were sulfa allergic, 10 (37%) had no evidence for any definite allergic cross-reaction to sulfa. Two cases, however (7%), had urticaria. One patient experienced a severe urticarial rash 30 days after starting acetazolamide and was switched to ethacyrnic acid. One patient originally unable to tolerate acetazolamide in 1983 because of nausea and vomiting developed an urticarial rash upon rechallenge in 1995. This patient was switched to furosemide with no adverse or allergic cross-reaction to sulfa.