Drug provocation testing in the diagnosis of drug hypersensitivity reactions: general considerations.

A drug provocation test (DPT) is the controlled administration of a drug in order to diagnose drug hypersensitivity reactions. DPTs are performed under medical surveillance, whether this drug is an alternative compound, or structurally/pharmacologically related, or the suspected drug itself. DPT is sometimes termed controlled challenge or reexposure (1), drug challenge (2), graded (2) or incremental challenge (3), test dosing (2), W. Aberer, A. Bircher, A. Romano, M. Blanca, P. Campi, J. Fernandez, K. Brockow, W. J. Pichler, P. Demoly for ENDA, and the EAACI interest group on drug hypersensitivity Department of Environmental Dermatology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria; Department of Dermatology, Basle, Switzerland; Allergy Service, Catholic University of Rome, Italy; Allergy Service, University La Paz, Madrid, Spain; Clinic for Allergy and Immunology, Florence, Italy; Allergy Section, Dept. Clin. Med., UMH, Elche, Spain; Klinik und Poliklinik f1r Dermatologie und Allergologie, Muenchen, Germany; Clinic for Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology/Allergology, Inselspital, Bern, Switzerland; Maladies Respiratoires-INSERM U454, H7pital Arnaud de Villeneuve, Montpellier, France