Abacavir hypersensitivity reaction predicted by genetic test.About 5% of patients have a potentially serious reaction to abacavir (Ziagen), and must discontinue the drug and never use it again. Now researchers in Australia have reported new data showing that testing for certain genes can accurately predict who will have this reaction. In their cohort of 248 patients, 18 of whom had the reaction, a genetic test for HLA-B*5701 alone would reduced the risk of abacavir hypersensitivity hypersensitivity, heightened response in a body tissue to an antigen or foreign substance. The body normally responds to an antigen by producing specific antibodies against it. The antibodies impart immunity for any later exposure to that antigen. from 8% to 0.4%--but would result in about 1.6% of their patients being inappropriately denied the drug. Adding a second genetic test would reduce these false positive from 1.5% to 0.4%. These figures will vary by racial groups, or by geographic regions within the same race, because of the different genetic inheritance of different populations. The researchers presented their findings at the Retroviruses conference (February 8-11, 2004 in San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden ), and published a full report on March 15. They are now using the testing in their clinical practice, to avoid giving abacavir to patients who are likely to react to it. This testing is not in general use, however. Incidentally, having HLA-B*5701 is probably an advantage overall, because it is associated with slower HIV HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), either of two closely related retroviruses that invade T-helper lymphocytes and are responsible for AIDS. There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for the vast majority of AIDS in the United States. progression. For More Information For an overview of presentations on this subject at the Retroviruses conference, see "Pharmacogenetics Pharmacogenetics Definition Pharmacogenetics is the study of how the actions of and reactions to drugs vary with the patient's genes. Description Predict Abacavir (Ziagen) Hypersensitivity" by Deborah Mitchell, published March 1, 2004 on the HIV and Hepatitis site: http://www.hivandhepatitis.com/recent/nrtis/030102d.html Original paper: Martin AM, Nolan D, Gaudieri S and others. Predisposition predisposition /pre·dis·po·si·tion/ (-dis-po-zish´un) a latent susceptibility to disease that may be activated under certain conditions. pre·dis·po·si·tion n. 1. to abacavir hypersensitivity conferred by HLA-B*5701 and a haplotypic Hsp70-Hom variant. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, usually referred to as PNAS, is the official journal of the United States National Academy of Sciences. , USA. Published online before print, March 15, 2004. Free abstract, and link to full text, available at: http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0307067101v1 |
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