Drug Hypersensitivity, An Issue of Immunology and Allergy Clinics

Drug hypersensitivities are immune-mediated reactions characterized by exanthems, fever and internal organ involvement. They represent a challenging field of research: many different drugs can induce a variety of clinical symptoms through multiple mechanisms of drug-host interaction, many of which are poorly understood.This is the first book to approach the phenomenon of drug hypersensitivity in a comprehensive manner. Besides epidemiological aspects, it addresses the immunological mechanisms underlying these complicated reactions which go far beyond the IgE-mediated drug allergies also considered in the book. Furthermore, the book covers clinical manifestations and new diagnostic methods, and introduces some recently established animal models. Well-accepted and also completely new concepts are presented and discussed in detail. Many topics are treated from multiple perspectives, and the 33 chapters are thoroughly cross-referenced.This publication will be of immense value not only to allergologists, dermatologists and anyone prescribing medication, but also to scientists in a pharmaceutical industry challenged by the economic effects of failures in drug development or drug removal from the market. Elucidating the mechanisms of drug hypersensitivity will not only help to identify patients at risk but will also provide novel insights into the pathophysiology of numerous immune-mediated diseases.