TITLE:
Assessment of a Case of Immediate-Type Allergy against Human Insulin in a Type 2 Diabetic Patient and Allergic Reactions to Human Insulin in Japan
AUTHORS:
Satoko Minakawa, Takahide Kaneko, Tomohisa Fukui, Yusuke Sakuraba, Takayuki Aizu, Ayumi Korekawa, Noriko Takiyoshi, Akiko Rokunohe, Takako Moriyama, Daisuke Sawamura
KEYWORDS:
Immediate-Type Allergy, IgE, Intradermal Skin Tests, Human Insulin, Human Insulin Analog
JOURNAL NAME:
Case Reports in Clinical Medicine,
Vol.3 No.8,
August
20,
2014
ABSTRACT: We report a
64-year-old female patient with an insulin allergy. She was treated with a
combination of oral antihistamines, topical hydrocortisone cream, and moisturizing
agents, which resulted in the improvement of eczema and intense pruritus. To
evaluate insulin allergy, intradermal skin tests were performed with several
insulin agents for clinical use and 0.9% NaCl. Skin testing with semisynthetic
human insulin resulted in local, immediate skin reactions such as itchy
erythema and wheals. Furthermore, we analyzed our case and 25 Japanese cases of
insulin allergy previously reported in the literature as far as we know.
Interestingly, the number of male patients was approximately two times higher
than that of female, and the insulin-specific IgE antibody test was positive in
21 patients. We should keep the possibility of human insulin allergy in mind
and prepare for it when initiating human insulin therapy.