Hypersensitivity reaction to aspirin accompanied by severe eosinophilia in a child with history of Kawasaki disease

ABSTRACT

Drug hypersensitivity is one of drug adverse reactions that develop in susceptible patients following exposure to certain drugs and cannot be predicted from the known pharmacology of a drug. Severe hypersensitivity is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Although the issue of hypersensitivity to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has been largely investigated in adults, data related to NSAIDs hypersensitivity is insufficient in childhood. And in spite of the recommendation to avoid use of aspirin due to Reye syndrome in children, aspirin is one of major treatment along with intravenous immunoglobulin in Kawasaki disease. We report a case of a 10-month-old boy who underwent intravenous immunoglobulin and aspirin treatment for Kawasaki disease, and subsequently revealed severe leukocytosis and eosinophilia. To our knowledge, there have been no previous reports of aspirin-induced eosinophilia in Korea.