Allergic reactions to asparaginase: retrospective cohort study in pediatric patients with acute lymphoid leukemia

ABSTRACT Introduction: To assess the frequency of allergic reactions to asparaginase (ASP) and possible risk factors for reactions in a cohort of pediatric patients. Method: The study was performed based on retrospective data from patients under acute lymphoid leukemia treatment in a general university hospital located in southern Brazil. Information on patients who used ASP from 2010 to 2017 was collected. Allergic reactions were identified in electronic medical records. Results: Among the 98 patients included in the study, 16 (16.3 %) experienced an allergic reaction to native l-asparaginase (L-ASP). Of the 22 patients (22.4 %) that received only intravenous (IV) administration of l-ASP, 10 (62.5 %) had allergic reactions, while 48 patients (49 %) received intramuscular (IM) administration and 28 (28.6 %) received IV and IM administrations. The occurrence of allergic reactions differed between the groups (p < 0.001), and IV administration was associated with allergic reactions. Association was also observed between the severity of the reaction and the route of administration, with the IM route associated with grade 2 and IV route associated with grade 3. Occurrence of allergic reactions was higher when the commercial formulation of l-ASP, Leuginase®, was used (p = 0.0009 in the analysis per patient and p = 0.0003 in the analysis per administration). Conclusions: The IV administration and commercial Leuginase® presentation were associated with more allergic reactions in the study population, which corroborates the findings in the literature. The IV route was also associated with higher severity of reactions in the present study.

Toxicidad a la L-asparaginasa en pacientes con leucemia aguda linfoblástica / Toxicity to L-asparaginase in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Antecedentes. La L-asparaginasa es una enzima extraída de Erwinia caratovora y Escherichia coli que ha sido aceptada para el tratamiento de inducción y consolidación en pacientes con leucemia aguda linfoblástica (LAL) y linfoma no Hodgkin; produce una prolongada remisión. Material y métodos. En el Hospital Infantil Privado en un periodo de dos años (1990-1992) se estudiaron 20 pacientes con LAL; recibieron L-asparaginasa; se registraron las complicaciones, la frecuencia y el tiempo de aparición de éstas. Resultados. Un paciente presentó hipersensibilidad tipo l (rash, rubicundez, broncoespasmo, etc.); otro tuvo hiperglicemia, pancreatitis y hemorragia cerebral fatal. En 13 casos hubo plaquetopenia. Hubo tres defunciones por hemorragia cerebral tres semanas después de la aplicación del medicamento; uno de estos pacientes tuvo tiempo parcial de tromboplastina prolongado y otro, alteración del fibrinógeno. Conclusiones. La L-asparaginasa es útil y necesaria para alargar el tiempo de remisión de la LAL. Los pacientes que reciben L-asparaginasa deben ser vigilados estrechamente para detectar hipersensibilidad tipo l, hipofibrinogenemia, hipergilcemia, hiperamonemia, pancreatitis o quiste pseudopancreático