In a retrospective case-control study, it was shown that an increased initial dose of allopurinol was linked to AHS.[6]
Oxypurinol is quickly transformed from allopurinol and then eliminated by the kidneys. The mean half-life of oxypurinol in patients with normal kidney function is 23 hours, although 95% of patients have half-lives between 9 and 38 hours.[7] The half-life of oxypurinol increases with decreasing kidney function, allowing it to build up over an extended period of time and reach higher steady-state concentrations; among those suffering from anuria, nearly no oxypurinol is eliminated.[8] The first report of the link between kidney impairment and AHS was found in a 1984 case series, wherein 58 patients with AHS had demonstrated signs of kidney impairment before starting allopurinol treatment.[9] Additionally, among the most common co-morbidities in a comprehensive analysis of all 901 reported cases of AHS, chronic kidney disease was present in 182 out of 376 (48%) patients.[10]
Triggers
After beginning allopurinol, allopurinol hypersensitivity syndrome usually manifests itself in the first few weeks to months. Ninety percent of the 901 documented cases of AHS in the largest review to date began within the first 8 to 9 weeks of starting allopurinol, with a median time to onset of 3 weeks.[10]
Genetics
The HLA-B gene belongs to the family of genes called the HLA complex. An odds ratio of 80–580 has been reported to link the HLA-B*58:01 allele to a higher risk of allopurinol-induced DRESS and SJS/TEN.[11][12]
Prevention
Preventative measures include using alternative drugs, genetic screening, and modifying the starting dose.[8]
^ abJames, William; Berger, Timothy; Elston, Dirk (2005). Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: Clinical Dermatology. (10th ed.). Saunders. ISBN0-7216-2921-0.
^Wang CW, Dao RL, Chung WH (August 2016). "Immunopathogenesis and risk factors for allopurinol severe cutaneous adverse reactions". Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 16 (4): 339–45. doi:10.1097/ACI.0000000000000286. PMID27362322. S2CID9183824.
^ abKhanna, Dinesh; Fitzgerald, John D.; Khanna, Puja P.; Bae, Sangmee; Singh, Manjit K.; Neogi, Tuhina; Pillinger, Michael H.; Merill, Joan; Lee, Susan; Prakash, Shraddha; Kaldas, Marian; Gogia, Maneesh; Perez-Ruiz, Fernando; Taylor, Will; Lioté, Frédéric; Choi, Hyon; Singh, Jasvinder A.; Dalbeth, Nicola; Kaplan, Sanford; Niyyar, Vandana; Jones, Danielle; Yarows, Steven A.; Roessler, Blake; Kerr, Gail; King, Charles; Levy, Gerald; Furst, Daniel E.; Edwards, N. Lawrence; Mandell, Brian; Schumacher, H. Ralph; Robbins, Mark; Wenger, Neil; Terkeltaub, Robert (September 28, 2012). "2012 American College of Rheumatology guidelines for management of gout. Part 1: Systematic nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic therapeutic approaches to hyperuricemia". Arthritis Care & Research. 64 (10). Wiley: 1431–1446. doi:10.1002/acr.21772. hdl:2027.42/93740. ISSN2151-464X. PMID23024028. S2CID16853635.
^Stamp, Lisa K.; Taylor, William J.; Jones, Peter B.; Dockerty, Jo L.; Drake, Jill; Frampton, Christopher; Dalbeth, Nicola (2012). "Starting dose is a risk factor for allopurinol hypersensitivity syndrome: A proposed safe starting dose of allopurinol". Arthritis & Rheumatism. 64 (8): 2529–2536. doi:10.1002/art.34488. ISSN0004-3591.
^Day, Richard O; Graham, Garry G; Hicks, Mark; McLachlan, Andrew J; Stocker, Sophie L; Williams, Kenneth M (2007). "Clinical Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Allopurinol and Oxypurinol". Clinical Pharmacokinetics. 46 (8): 623–644. doi:10.2165/00003088-200746080-00001. ISSN0312-5963. PMID17655371. S2CID20369375.
^ abStamp, Lisa K.; Day, Richard O.; Yun, James (September 29, 2015). "Allopurinol hypersensitivity: investigating the cause and minimizing the risk". Nature Reviews Rheumatology. 12 (4). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 235–242. doi:10.1038/nrrheum.2015.132. ISSN1759-4790. PMID26416594. S2CID7273698.
^ abRamasamy, Sheena N.; Korb-Wells, Cameron S.; Kannangara, Diluk R. W.; Smith, Myles W. H.; Wang, Nan; Roberts, Darren M.; Graham, Garry G.; Williams, Kenneth M.; Day, Richard O. (2013). "Allopurinol Hypersensitivity: A Systematic Review of All Published Cases, 1950–2012". Drug Safety. 36 (10): 953–980. doi:10.1007/s40264-013-0084-0. ISSN0114-5916. PMID23873481. S2CID37362888.
Lupton, George P.; Odom, Richard B. (1979). "The allopurinol hypersensitivity syndrome". Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 1 (4). Elsevier BV: 365–374. doi:10.1016/s0190-9622(79)70031-4. ISSN0190-9622. PMID159913.