[Penicillin allergy]. / Alergia a la penicilina.

Betalactams are the most widely used antimicrobials for their safety and efficacy. These include the penicillins, cephalosporins, carbapenems, and monobactams. Penicillin allergy ranks first in relation to drug allergy. 10 to 20 % of the population is labeled as allergic to it, often wrongly. Cross reaction is reported in 2 to 5 % between penicillins and cephalosporin. There is no cross reaction between penicillins and aztreonam, but there is with ceftazidime. All the mechanisms of the Gell and Coombs classification are included in the pathophysiology of hypersensitivity reactions to penicillin. Stratification according to risk allows us to take the most objective behavior to label the patient as allergic to. In the natural history of penicillin allergy, 80-90 % of patients lose this sensitivity by 10 years. If necessary, the patient can undergo a desensitization protocol. The immuno-allergist is a key piece in the selection of the patient, the elaboration of the challenge and desensitization protocols, in a controlled environment.

Los betalactámicos son los antimicrobianos más utilizados por su seguridad y eficacia. En este grupo se incluyen las penicilinas, las cefalosporinas, los carbapenémicos y los monobactámicos. La penicilina constituye la primera causa de alergia a medicamentos: 10 a 20 % de la población se etiqueta como alérgica a la misma, en muchas ocasiones erróneamente. Se ha reportado reacción cruzada entre penicilinas y cefalosporina en 2 a 5 %. No hay reacción cruzada entre penicilinas y aztreonam, pero sí con ceftazidima. En la fisiopatología de las reacciones de hipersensibilidad a penicilina se incluyen todos los mecanismos de la clasificación de Gell y Coombs. La estratificación de acuerdo con el riesgo permite tomar la decisión más objetiva para etiquetar al paciente como alérgico. En la evolución natural de la alergia a la penicilina, 80 a 90 % de los pacientes pierde dicha sensibilidad a los 10 años. De ser indispensable, el paciente puede ser sometido a un protocolo de desensibilización. El médico inmunoalergologo es una pieza clave en la selección del paciente, la elaboración de los protocolos de reto y la desensibilización en un ambiente controlado.

Corrigendum: Substance Use in Mild-COVID-19 Patients: A Retrospective Study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.634396.].

Substance Use in Mild-COVID-19 Patients: A Retrospective Study.

Background: There is a need for prospective studies investigating substance use variations in mild COVID-19 patients. These individuals represent the majority of patients affected by the disease and are routinely treated at home, facing periods of quarantine. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. All people who tested positive for COVID-19 and classified as mild cases (i.e., no alarm sign/symptom, no need for in-person consultation) during the treatment in the public health system of a Brazilian city with around 160,000 inhabitants were monitored by phone for all the COVID-19 symptoms listed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during the active phase of the disease (i.e., no longer experiencing symptoms, up to 14 days in mild cases). After this phase (median = 108 days after intake, IQR = 76-137), we asked these patients who were classified as experiencing mild COVID-19 (n = 993) about last-month substance use in three time-points: pre-COVID, just after COVID-19 acute phase (post-COVID acute phase) and in the period before survey (post-COVID follow-up phase). Results: The number of COVID-19 symptoms was not associated with pre- or post-infection substance use. Pre-COVID alcohol and non-medical benzodiazepine use were associated with specific COVID-19 symptoms. However, sensitivity analyses showed that such associations could be explained by previous psychiatric and medical profiles. Alcohol and tobacco use decreased and non-medical analgesics increased in the post-COVID acute phase. However, just alcohol use remained lower in the post-COVID follow-up period. Higher pre-COVID levels of tobacco and alcohol were associated with post-COVID follow-up cannabis and non-medical analgesic use, respectively. Non-medical benzodiazepine use had positive and negative bi-directional associations with cannabis and non-medical analgesic use, respectively. Conclusion: We were not able to find specific associations between substance use and COVID-19 symptomatology in the present study. Patients with mild COVID-19 should be monitored for substance use in the post-COVID-19 period, and preventive interventions for non-medical analgesic use should be implemented. Focused preventive interventions increasing the perceived risks of cannabis and non-medical benzodiazepine and analgesic use among people experiencing mild COVID-19 that reported previous substance use could be useful.