Ninety-five Percent of Penicillin Allergy Diagnoses Are Wrong: New Test Helps

> In reality, 95 percent of those diagnosed with a penicillin allergy aren’t actually allergic.

I have an anecdote on how people get falsely labeled as having a penicillin allergy: My grandad with a “penicillin allergy” was treated a few years ago with a high dose of penicillin for 4 days without any problem. The hospital didn’t have access to his medical records and also overlooked what we wrote on the admission forms, and went ahead with penicillin as the best treatment. I asked my grandad about this allergy. He said that 40 years ago he had an upset stomach after taking penicillin and the doctor told him he was allergic. He’s been repeating that information to doctors and pharmacists for 40 years.

Another person quipped that the two medical errors--false allergy and treatment despite "allergy"--cancelled each other out!