Allergic reactions genetic factors

Finally, CAMs can produce side effects and adverse reactions similar to conventional medications.61 Gastrointestinal disturbances (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea), headache, allergic responses, and various other reactions are possible even when CAMs are taken at appropriate doses. The type and severity of these reactions depends on many factors including the type of CAM and the individual characteristics of each patient (genetic factors, diseases, other medications, and so forth). Clearly, CAMs can produce the same types of problems as conventional medications, and consumers must be reminded that these products are actual drugs even though they may be derived from natural or nontraditional sources. 

Some researchers claim that also other factors, such as sex or race, may be of importance for the scale of the problem, which could be attributed to genetic factors. Allergic reactions are observed everywhere, irrespective of the geographical zone or cultural preferences. Yet, they occur more often in infancy or early childhood than in adulthood, and they affect women more often than men. The data concerning the scale are divergent, which may result from various... 

Patient-related factors include an increased incidence of allergic reactions to beta-lactams in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (277) but not with atopic diseases (278). Genetic factors that influence drug metabolism and excretion, as well as the underlying disease of the patient and host immune reactivity, are likely to modulate the risk and severity of hypersensitivity reactions. 

Levine BB (1971) Genetic factors in reagin production in mice. In Austen KF, Becker EL (eds) Biochemistry of the acute allergic reactions. Blackwell, Oxford Levine BB, Redmond AP (1967) Immunochemical mechanisms of penicillin-induced Coombs positivity and hemolytic anemia in man. Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol 31 594-606... 

Development of models to assess chemical-induced allergic or autoimmune reactions is difficult in that both types of reactions are subject to complex processes, and are idiosyncratic in nature. Factors that must be considered include a large number of genetic as well as phenotypic, neuroendocrine, or environmental factors that are only in part related to the immune system. 

Factors that influence the likelihood of allergic drug reactions are the dose of the allergen, the route of exposure, and the sensitivity of the individual as determined by age, genetics, or environmental factors. For many drugs, the severity of a reaction is determined by the dose and duration of exposure. 

---