Aspirin allergy labeling after desensitization: education, communication, and patient safety

Abstract

Hypersensitivity reactions to aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most common causes of drug-induced hypersensitivity and constitute a spectrum of diverse immunologic and inflammatory processes.1 For many patients with NSAID hypersensitivity, aspirin desensitization can allow for administration of aspirin for therapeutic purposes, such as in aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD)2 or coronary artery disease (CAD).3 However, desensitization only induces a transient tolerance, contingent on daily and regular ingestion of a fixed aspirin dose; desensitization does not resolve the underlying hypersensitivity process.