A Case of a Serum Sickness-Like Reaction After Postexposure Rabies Prophylaxis.


Journal

The Journal of emergency medicine
ISSN: 0736-4679
Titre abrégé: J Emerg Med
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 8412174

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
12 2023
Historique:
received: 14 04 2023
revised: 13 07 2023
accepted: 10 08 2023
medline: 20 11 2023
pubmed: 14 10 2023
entrez: 13 10 2023
Statut: ppublish

Résumé

Serum sickness secondary to rabies postexposure prophylaxis is not well documented in the medical literature. Our case describes serum sickness after exposure to human-derived rabies immunoglobulin (HRIG) and three human diploid rabies vaccines (HDCV) in a young adult male. A 30-year-old previously healthy male patient presented to the Emergency Department with complaints of fever, rash, and jaundice, and had a hospital course complicated by biliary stenosis likely secondary to reactive periportal lymphadenopathy. His initial laboratory values demonstrated obstructive jaundice and slightly elevated complement component 4 levels. These symptoms likely are due to the course of HRIG and HDCV vaccines the patient completed after being exposed to a rabies-positive bat in his home. The patient was hospitalized for 8 days, during which he underwent an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with sphincterotomy and biliary stenting. He had one repeat hospitalization for acute blood loss anemia attributed to sphincterotomy, which did not require transfusion or further intervention. Liver biopsy showed cholestatic hepatitis. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Medical literature describing serum sickness or a serum sickness-like reaction occurring from exposure to HRIG or HDCV is sparse despite the commonality of postexposure rabies prophylaxis in health care. It is important to educate practitioners on this potential complication and highlight next potential consultations and treatments.

Sections du résumé

BACKGROUND
Serum sickness secondary to rabies postexposure prophylaxis is not well documented in the medical literature. Our case describes serum sickness after exposure to human-derived rabies immunoglobulin (HRIG) and three human diploid rabies vaccines (HDCV) in a young adult male.
CASE REPORT
A 30-year-old previously healthy male patient presented to the Emergency Department with complaints of fever, rash, and jaundice, and had a hospital course complicated by biliary stenosis likely secondary to reactive periportal lymphadenopathy. His initial laboratory values demonstrated obstructive jaundice and slightly elevated complement component 4 levels. These symptoms likely are due to the course of HRIG and HDCV vaccines the patient completed after being exposed to a rabies-positive bat in his home. The patient was hospitalized for 8 days, during which he underwent an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with sphincterotomy and biliary stenting. He had one repeat hospitalization for acute blood loss anemia attributed to sphincterotomy, which did not require transfusion or further intervention. Liver biopsy showed cholestatic hepatitis. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Medical literature describing serum sickness or a serum sickness-like reaction occurring from exposure to HRIG or HDCV is sparse despite the commonality of postexposure rabies prophylaxis in health care. It is important to educate practitioners on this potential complication and highlight next potential consultations and treatments.

Identifiants

pubmed: 37833201
pii: S0736-4679(23)00432-8
doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2023.08.003
pii:
doi:

Substances chimiques

Immunologic Factors 0
Rabies Vaccines 0

Types de publication

Case Reports Journal Article

Langues

eng

Sous-ensembles de citation

IM

Pagination

e531-e533

Informations de copyright

Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Declaration of Competing Interest None.

Auteurs

Kira J Galeano (KJ)

Department of Emergency and Hospital Medicine, Lehigh Valley Health Network, USF Morsani College of Medicine, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Victoria Q Tay (VQ)

Department of Emergency and Hospital Medicine, Lehigh Valley Health Network, USF Morsani College of Medicine, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Alexandra M Amaducci (AM)

Department of Emergency and Hospital Medicine, Lehigh Valley Health Network, USF Morsani College of Medicine, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Articles similaires

[Redispensing of expensive oral anticancer medicines: a practical application].

Lisanne N van Merendonk, Kübra Akgöl, Bastiaan Nuijen
1.00
Humans Antineoplastic Agents Administration, Oral Drug Costs Counterfeit Drugs

Smoking Cessation and Incident Cardiovascular Disease.

Jun Hwan Cho, Seung Yong Shin, Hoseob Kim et al.
1.00
Humans Male Smoking Cessation Cardiovascular Diseases Female
Humans United States Aged Cross-Sectional Studies Medicare Part C
1.00
Humans Yoga Low Back Pain Female Male

Classifications MeSH