Serum disease can be fatal

Serum is a sensitive reaction that occurs when injecting foreign substances, proteins or serum. Expressions are allergy symptoms such as rash, itching, difficulty breathing, even anaphylaxis and death.

Caution should be exercised when using serum (Photo: SK & ĐS) Antiviral serum of animal origin (mainly from horses such as tetanus and rabies) can cause serum disease for 5-16% number of patients.

Today, by trying to filter out the most sensitive substances from horse serum and replace it with human serum, serum diseases have decreased. However, the enhancement of new biotechnology products such as monoclonal antibodies to prevent and treat diseases can easily lead to an increase in serum disease and similar reactions.

Symptoms may occur within 6-21 days after foreign substances (medicines or serum, proteins) are introduced. The disease may start faster, in 1-4 days, if the patient has used the same medicine before. Often patients over 15 years of age suffer from more severe symptoms because the amount of antidote or serum is added to the body.

Typical symptoms are fever, joint pain, lymphadenopathy and skin ulcers; pain, itching and redness at the injection site; Muscular pain, chest pain and difficulty breathing. Skin manifestations are most obvious and occur in more than 95% of cases; Typically: rash, hives, itching, swelling, festering, redness, sores everywhere on the body including the heart and the back of the hands, feet, hands, toes.

If the patient does not continue taking the drug or the serum causes the disease, symptoms may be relieved after 1-2 weeks. If the disease is not detected and the patient continues to use allergens, it can lead to serious health consequences such as vasculitis, neurodegeneration, glomerulonephritis, even anaphylaxis and death. .

In addition to typical sera, experts note that conventional chemotherapy may also cause similar reactions to serum sickness. Every year in the United States there are hundreds of cases of serological reactions in patients taking antibiotics such as amoxicillin, cefaclor, cephalexin, bactrim, cotrim, septra, sulfatrim .

The following theoretical and practical biological and medical therapeutic products can cause diseases: Serum against botulism, diphtheria, air mail, anti-rejection of grafting organs, antitoxin and spiders poison; allergens to test allergies and desensitization; products from blood, hormones, venom, bacteria and preventive vaccines.

For the treatment of serum sickness, patients may be given antihistamines, antipyretics, pain relief .

Avoid using drugs, serum is the best way to prevent disease. But in fact, this problem is not possible, because one cannot know which patients will be able to respond to any drug, serum or vaccine.

The skin reaction test for patients with hypersensitivity before using serum is almost unreliable to detect those who are likely to have serum disease.

In fact, when serum is needed, it is advisable to create an infusion line on both sides of the hand: One side to transmit serum and one side to timely treat possible reactions.