A Case of Anaphylaxis Induced by Lafutidine

Abstract

We report a case of anaphylaxis induced by lafutidine. A 33-year-old man presented with an anaphylactic reaction after taking lafutidine, an H2-receptor antagonist. He had been treated with lafutidine, cefotiam hydrochloride, serrapeptase, pranoprofen, aspirin, acetaminophen, clemastine fumarate, scopolia extract and sodium azulenesulfonate for tonsilitis at another hospital. He developed an anaphylactic reaction after taking all of the drugs. His symptoms at the time of admission included vomiting, dyspnea, a skin rash over the entire body, and circulatory collapse. He recovered from the anaphylaxis after treatment with methylprednisolone sodium succinate. We performed several tests to detect the causative drug (s). Patch tests and scratch tests for the various drugs were all negative. Challenge tests for the various drugs were also negative, with the exception of the lafutidine challenge. Severe side effects, including liver dysfunction and pancytopenia, have been reported in patients treated with lafutidine. This is the first report of an anaphylactic reaction induced by lafutidine. The present case suggests that challenge tests may be useful for detecting the causative drugs of type I allergies.