title: Oral desensitization to 5-aminosalicylic acid medications.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although hypersensitive subjects have been desensitized to oral sulfasalazine, the feasibility of oral desensitization to the drug's active moiety, 5-aminosalicylic acid has been questioned and never been reported.
  
  
  METHODS
  We devised a 5-aminosalicylic acid desensitization protocol and administered the drug to two hypersensitive subjects on three occasions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both 5-aminosalicylic acid hypersensitive subjects were successfully desensitized without complications and were able to tolerate therapeutic doses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite changing the drug's properties by crushing it for incrementally increasing administration, we successfully desensitized two patients on three occasions with 5-aminosalicylic acid.
authors.affiliation: Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Department of Allergy & Immunology, MCHC-AL, Washington, DC 20307-5001, USA.
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Stelzle
authors.forename: E N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Squire
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000293:Adolescent; D000368:Aged; D003888:Desensitization, Immunologic / Q000379:methods; D003875:Drug Eruptions / Q000209:etiology; D004342:Drug Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019804:Mesalamine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D019804:Mesalamine