Successful Desensitization of A Case of Anaphylaxis to Insulin / 대한피부과학회지

ABSTRACT

A small proportion of diabetics treated with exogenous insulin, reportedly ranging from 0.1% to 2%, experience systemic allergic reactions to insulin. We saw a 55-year-old male patient with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus who had developed an anaphylatic reaction immediately after subcutaneous injections of neutral protamine Hagedorn (NPH) human recombinant insulin. Skin tests with insulins and a passive transfer test demonstrated that his reaction was IgE mediated. Since there were no therapeutic alternatives, desensitization with insulin was done following a slow protocol. It was successful and he was able to resume insulin therapy. During two year follow-up period, he did not developed any adverse reaction to insulin.