title: Evaluation of drug provocation tests in Korean children: a single center experience.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Drug provocation tests (DPTs) are difficult to perform in clinical practice, even though they are the gold standard for the diagnosis of adverse drug reactions (ADRs).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aims of this study were to evaluate the common causative drugs of type B ADRs and to analyze the relationships between host factors and the results of DPTs in Korean children.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all children younger than 19 years of age who underwent a DPT between November 1994 and November 2014. Open provocation tests were performed with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acetaminophen, aminopenicillins, cephalosporins, non-β-lactam antibiotics, antiepileptic drugs, or other drugs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 84 DPTs were performed in 56 patients whose median age was 7.5 years (range, 6 months to 18 years). DPTs were positive in 25 (29.8%) of 84 cases, which translated to 18 (32.1%) positive findings in 56 patients. Drugs that provided positive results included NSAIDs (7 cases, 28.0%), aminopenicillins (5 cases, 20.0%), acetaminophen (4 cases, 16.0%), cephalosporins (3 cases, 12.0%), and non-β-lactams (2 cases, 8.0%). Anaphylaxis was noted in 5 (20.0%) of 25 cases. There were no serious complications of DPTs in any of the subjects. The median age was 10.5 years for children who had a positive result following the DPT and 5.0 years for those with negative results (P value = 0.019).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  DPTs can be performed safely in children with suspected ADRs in order to achieve a correct diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jinwha
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Ji Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kwang Hoon
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jaehee
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Kangmo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Jihyun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000707:Anaphylaxis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004342:Drug Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007159:Immunologic Tests; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors