NONIMMUNOLOGICAL ADVERSE DRUG-REACTIONS - HOW TO RECOGNIZE AND CATEGORIZE SOME COMMON REACTIONS

When a patient experiences an adverse drug reaction, the history is in most instances the only clinical tool available for establishing a di agnosis. Thus, when taking a history, physicians should always inquire about drugs the patient has been taking and prior reactions to drugs, Clinicians should characterize every adverse drug reaction according to an accepted classification system. Familiarity with the types of re actions discussed here is therefore essential. The majority of adverse drug reactions are nonimmunologic in origin, and the most common reac tions occur in response to relatively few classes of drugs, It is impo rtant not to incorrectly label a reaction as allergic, since this impl ies an immune-mediated response, which often precludes future use of t he drug, On the other hand, if there is any concern that a reaction ma y be allergic, it is best to err on the side of caution by using an al ternative, non-cross-reacting drug for treatment.