Adverse drug reactions are a major cause of morbidity, complicating over 5% of therapeutic drug courses. The majority of these events are due to common predictable mechanisms linked to the way the drug works, but about 5% of all reactions are immune-mediated and constitute true allergy. Drug allergy is one of the potential causes of anaphylaxis, angioedema and urticaria and should always be considered when a patient presents with one of these conditions.
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