Allergy workup in immediate-type local reactions to glatiramer acetate

Local reactions to glatiramer acetate are common,but few cases of hypersensitivity reaction have been reported. we present 3 patients with multiple sclerosis who suffered immediate-type local reactions after subcutaneous injection of glatiramer acetate. skin prick test (spt),intradermal test (idt),and determination of immunoglobulin (ig) e to glatiramer acetate were performed in patients and controls (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). the results of spt were all negative. those of idt in controls were negative at concentrations below 200 μg/ml,but positive for patients 1,2,and 3 at 2,20,and 200 μg/ml,respectively. serum ige to glatiramer acetate in patient 1 was 2.1 times higher than in the controls,whereas no differences were found between controls and patients 2 and 3. glatiramer acetate was safely reintroduced in patients 2 and 3. the results obtained for patient 1 suggest that an ige-mediated mechanism was probably involved. in conclusion,idt and serum ge determination to glatiramer acetate seem useful for identifying allergic reactions among the common local reactions induced by this drug. © 2010 esmon publicidad.