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Case Report
 

Uterine Contractions: An Unusual Side Effect of Venom Immunotherapy
 

F Karakurt,1 A Kargili,1 B Bozkurt,2 B Kasapoglu,3 M Ikizek3

1Fatih University Medical School Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Ankara, Turkey
2Fatih University Medical School Department of Pulmonology, Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Ankara, Turkey
3Fatih University Medical School Department of Internal Medicine, Ankara, Turkey

J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol 2010; Vol. 20(5): 431-432
 

 Abstract


Venom immunotherapy (VIT) is an efficient treatment modality for preventing further sting-induced anaphylactic reactions in patients with Hymenoptera venom allergy. The main side effects of VIT include local and systemic allergic reactions with a variable risk of up to 46%.
We report the case of a woman who experienced rapid-onset hypocalcemia and regular uterine contractions on 3 occasions within 30 minutes of receiving Apis mellifera VIT. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of uterine contractions as a side effect of VIT.
The importance of this event is clear, as VIT has now been approved for pregnant women. We provide recommendations to physicians using this modality.

Key words: Venom immunotherapy. Uterine contractions.