McMaster researchers to test safe antibiotic use for children with misdiagnosed allergies

While 90 per cent of Canadians can safely use antibiotics like penicillin to treat infections, many children are mistakenly diagnosed with allergies to these common medicines, limiting their treatment options.

Researchers at McMaster University believe these drugs can be safely administered to more children. Their new study will test an approach to remove unnecessary allergy diagnosis (also called “de-labeling”) for patients admitted to McMaster Children’s Hospital (MCH), giving more kids access to these life-saving medicines.

This groundbreaking program, led by researchers Jacqueline Wong and Dominik Mertz, is the first of its kind at MCH.

“We now know that most children don’t need to undergo the lengthy and often painful skin testing to diagnose an allergy,” says Wong, a pediatric infectious diseases doctor. “Instead, they can safely try taking the antibiotic directly. If they don’t react, we can remove the allergy diagnosis.”

If a child does have an allergic reaction, they will be treated based on best practices, with options like antihistamines for rashes, puffers for breathing issues, or other treatments.

Why are kids misdiagnosed?

According to Wong, some children who take antibiotics develop mild skin rashes. These rashes, particularly common in children under four years-old, are usually caused by concurrent viral infections rather than a reaction to the medication.

She says parents or family doctors mistakenly think these rashes are allergic reactions, often without further testing.  Such misdiagnoses can significantly limit treatment options.

Wong emphasizes that her research can improve the use of antibiotics during a child’s hospital stay and continue providing benefits when they return home.

The study will assess if removing allergy labels from patients’ medical records results in more kids taking these antibiotics in the future.

Support for research

The research is made possible through the Department of Pediatrics’ Collaborative Research Excellence (CoRE) Builder Team grant, a program that offers seed-funding for research studies with a high-likelihood of attracting additional investment.

“If we can demonstrate that the removal of an unnecessary allergy diagnosis can improve outcomes in other healthcare settings and increase appropriate antibiotic use after hospital discharge, it will clearly show the benefits and increase the likelihood of this service being adopted at other pediatric hospitals,” Wong said.