title: Aspirin hypersensitivity.
abstract: Hypersensitivity reactions to acetylsalicylic acid and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs constitute a major medical concern worldwide. This article presents an overview of the observations that led to the discovery of cyclooxygenase inhibitors, as a prerequisite to better understand the basic concepts supporting seminal investigations carried out in order to elucidate the clinical features, pathogenic mechanisms, diagnosis and modern management of these common conditions. There are some unmet needs in this clinical area which will have to be solved in the future, especially concerning the pathogenesis of these reactions and the availability of novel in vitro diagnostic methods sparing both patient and physician of the risks inherent to in vivo provocation tests.
authors.affiliation: Allergy and Clinical Immunology Department, Centro Médico-Docente 'la Trinidad' and Clínica El Avila, Caracas, Venezuela.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Borges
mesh_terms: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000266:history; D001241:Aspirin / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000266:history; D051545:Cyclooxygenase 1 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D004342:Drug Hypersensitivity / Q000209:etiology*; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D051545:Cyclooxygenase 1; D001241:Aspirin