title: Psychological aspects of drug intolerance.
abstract: A consecutive unselected series of 50 patients suffering from drug intolerance was evaluated by allergological and psychological tests. We wanted to verify the existence of a correlation between some psychological characteristics (hysteria, depression and Ego Integrity), and some clinical aspects (number and type of episodes, severity and probability of the reactions). We confirmed the prevalence of female sex in these disorders, particularly in middle-aged married women. The mean score of hysteria in the whole sample was lightly higher than normal. Moreover a relevant number of subjects (24%) scored higher than the cut off for clinical depression, with a significant difference in comparison to the overall prevalence of depression in the general population. Finally, the analysis of clinical variables considered in our patients showed that subjects with a history of less serious reactions and unlikely reactions scored higher in depression and hysteria scales. The importance of psychological evaluation of drug intolerance patients is discussed and confirmed.
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric Unit, ASL n 3, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Berrino
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Voltolini
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bignardi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fasce
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Minale
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Macchi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Troise
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000485:Allergens / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D003875:Drug Eruptions / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D004342:Drug Hypersensitivity / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008950:MMPI; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012882:Skin Tests
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D000779:Anesthetics, Local