Abstract
Abacavir is a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor that is commonly used in HIV-infected patients. A well-known and potentially life-threatening side effect of abacavir is allergic hypersensitivity reaction. A screening test for the HLA-B*5701 allele is currently used to predict the risk of hypersensitivity reaction to abacavir. This test, however, may be less useful in Korea, because of the low prevalence of HLA-B*5701. A 52-year-old male with HIV infection was referred to our hospital because of suspected side-effects of antiviral agents and lymph node enlargement of the neck. He suffered from a fever, generalized edema, skin rash of the whole body, and difficulty breathing after starting antiviral agents. Suspected as a hypersensitivity reaction resulting from drug side-effects, prescription of abacavir was stopped. The patient subsequently recovered. The presence of the HLA-B*5701 allele was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction-sequencing based typing (PCR-SBT).
Abacavir는 부작용이 적어 최근 많이 사용하는 항바이러스제이지만 드물게 치명적인 과민반응을 일으킬 수 있다. 저자들은 abacavir 투여 후 피부발진, 부종, 호흡곤란의 증상을 보인 환자에서 HLA-B$^{\ast}$5701 유전형을 확인하여 abacavir에 의한 과민반응임을 진단하였으며, 본 증례는 조기에 약물을 중단하여 치유된 국내 첫 환자에 대한 보고이다. Abacavir에 의한 과민반응이 드문 부작용이지만 생명에 위험이 될 수 있으므로 주의 깊은 관찰이 필요하며, 약물 중단 등 조기에 적절한 대처가 중요하다.
