Allergy Asthma Respir Dis.  2021 Apr;9(2):99-103. 10.4168/aard.2021.9.2.99.

A case of anaphylaxis presumably caused by a trace amount of povidone in a tablet pill

• Kim SH
• Kim MY

• KMID: 2515260
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4168/aard.2021.9.2.99

Abstract

Povidone, also known as polyvinylpyrrolidone has high sterilizing power and low toxicity, and has been widely used in disinfectants, ointments, gels, shampoos, soap, and pharmaceutical tablet additives. Povidone‐iodine (Betadine) is a rare cause of IgE‐mediated allergy, and to our best of knowledge there have been no reports in Korea. We report the first case of anaphylaxis in Korea presumably caused by a trace amount of povidone contained in a tablet pill. An 18-year-old man experienced severe rhinorrhea, nasal congestion, eyelid swelling, cough, and dyspnea after taking multiple drugs at the same time for abdominal pain and diarrhea 20 days before the hospital visit. Symptoms disappeared after the treatment. He experienced similar symptoms after applying povidone to skin wounds 2 years ago. Among the drugs taken, these symptoms were assumed to be caused by a drug containing a trace amount of povidone. The remaining drug was tested by oral provocation, and there were no adverse reactions. He has avoided drugs containing povidone and has not experienced similar reactions for more than 1 year since then. Therefore, it is presumed that a systemic hypersensitivity reaction may occur due to a very small amount of povidone in a tablet pill.

Keyword

Povidone; Anaphylaxis; Drug allergy