Allergic reactions to polidocanol for vein sclerosis. Two case reports.
BACKGROUND
Polidocanol is a sclerosing solution that is highly valued by clinicians and patients for its painlessness, high efficacy, excellent safety profile, low incidence of side effects, and for the rarity of its allergic reactions. Previous estimates of the incidence of allergic reactions have ranged from 0 to 0.06%.


OBJECTIVE
Improved recognition of systemic allergy to polidocanol is desirable for both clinicians and for patients. We have attempted to describe two cases recently observed in our population and to provide an improved upper-bounds estimate for the true population incidence of allergy to polidocanol.


RESULTS
We report two recent cases of mild systemic allergic reaction to polidocanol in a population of 689 exposed patients, for an observed incidence of 0.3% in our patient population. We have calculated a 95% confidence upper-bound estimate of 0.91% for the incidence of polidocanol allergy in the general population.


CONCLUSIONS
Allergy to polidocanol may be more common than previously recognized. Careful questioning of previously treated patients and more prolonged observation of patients after treatment may yield a larger number of recognized cases.
Department of Emergency Medicine, George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20037.
C F
CF
Feied
J J
JJ
Jackson
T S
TS
Bren
O B
OB
Bond
C E
CE
Fernando
V C
VC
Young
R B
RB
Hashemiyoon
D000328:Adult; D003875:Drug Eruptions / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000077423:Polidocanol; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011537:Pruritus / Q000139:chemically induced; D012597:Sclerosing Solutions / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014581:Urticaria / Q000139:chemically induced; D014648:Varicose Veins / Q000628:therapy
D012597:Sclerosing Solutions; D000077423:Polidocanol; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols