Are You Really Allergic to Penicillin? (Update) | Freakonomics Radio

18 insights saved from this video by @science

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Gene sequencing, machine learning, and artificial intelligence might one day predict drug-allergy susceptibility at birth.
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One inaccurate penicillin-allergy label led from vancomycin to red-man syndrome, a wound infection, and C. difficile infection.
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Among about 60,000 labeled patients versus more than 200,000 unlabeled patients, the label was linked to 14% higher all-cause mortality.
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More than 30 million Americans believe they are allergic to penicillin, yet fewer than 1% actually are.
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About 10% of Americans are labeled penicillin-allergic, but roughly 90% of those people are not actually allergic.
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About 90% of people who believe they are allergic to penicillin can actually tolerate it.
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Most recorded penicillin allergies are believed inaccurate, yet the label is linked to higher postsurgical infection risk and mortality.
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Among roughly 3,000 suspected penicillin-allergy patients, only about 20 appeared allergic and just two had severe reactions.
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After negative skin-prick and intradermal tests, studies show a 95% likelihood of passing a penicillin challenge.
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Hospitals can clear low-risk allergy labels through observation and a supervised two-step drug challenge.
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Food allergies affect roughly half a billion people worldwide.
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Obstetricians often advise patients with penicillin-allergy labels to undergo evaluation before a future pregnancy.
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Evidence rules can quietly favor drugs: prevention tactics like tick avoidance rarely have money for large controlled trials.
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Published in 2015, the LEAP study argued that feeding peanuts to babies reduces their risk of peanut allergy.
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Treating hay fever in Americans costs more than $4 billion annually, including over $1 billion for medication.
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For many childhood illnesses, rest and plenty of water are legitimate discharge instructions, not empty advice.
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Primary care can track penicillin-allergy label removal by clinic, revealing which interventions clear inaccurate labels.
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Anaphylaxis becomes fatal when blood pressure collapses, breathing fails, and the heart ultimately arrests.

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