On paper, penicillin allergy is a common condition, with about 10 per cent of Canadians having one noted in their medical record. In fact, it's the most frequently reported drug allergy, according to research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. It's often diagnosed early in life, around the time babies and children receive their first dose of an antibiotic for an infection.
However, the reality is that very few of these diagnoses are accurate. According to the B.C.
Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), less than one per cent of Canadians actually experience adverse effects from taking penicillin, and the Mayo Clinic reports 90 per cent of people diagnosed with penicillin allergy can be safely treated with the antibiotic. Top health headlines, all in one place Moreover, the Mayo Clinic reports about 50 per cent of people will outgrow a penicillin allergy within five years, and 80 per cent will outgrow it within 10 years. Pediatric allergist Dr.
Amiirah Aujnarain says it's important to know if you might not be allergic to penicillin after all, since penicillin-based antibiotics like amoxicillin are the best line of treatment for many infections. "Penicillin is a huge antibiotic. It covers a lot of different things, and so sometimes you'll have a bacteria you actually want to use amoxicillin for, and then you're using something that's not as good," she told CTV's Your Morning on Friday, "and that creates antibiotic resistance.
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