Prevalence of drug allergy in South Australia

Drug allergy is commonly reported in patient notes and electronic health records. The prevalence of self-reported drug allergy in the general Australian population has not previously been studied.

To investigate the prevalence of self-reported drug allergy in the general adult population in South Australia.

We surveyed a representative sample of the South Australian adult population regarding their own perception of drug allergy, including drug type and severity, as well as the use of medical alert devices. Data were weighted to correspond to age and sex of the South Australian population.

Twenty-two percent of adults in South Australia consider themselves allergic to one or more drugs: 9.3% declared themselves to be allergic to penicillin, 5% to an antibiotic other than penicillin and 13% to one or more antibiotics. Drug allergy and penicillin allergy was significantly more prevalent in females and increased with age. Thirteen percent of those with an antibiotic allergy reported a severe reaction, of whom 27% wore a medical notification device. Of those allergic to penicillin, 75% had their index reaction more than 10 years ago and did not report severe features.

Self-reported drug allergy is common in the general population, as it is in medical clinic and hospital populations. The majority of those reporting penicillin allergy would be considered low-risk and suitable for de-labelling procedures.