Anaphylactic Reaction Caused by Treatment with Nitrofurantoin

Abstract

NITROFURANTOIN has been found to be useful in the treatment of genitourinary-tract infections caused by a variety of bacterial organisms, including those resistant to many other antimicrobial agents. Continuous prophylactic treatment with nitrofurantoin has even been recommended for patients with chronic infections of the urinary tract.¹Occasional reports have been published about allergies and other toxic reactions to nitrofurantoin: transient alopecia,¹bilirubinuria,²jaundice, drowsiness, dizziness,^{2, 3}and slight to moderate arrest of spermatogenesis. More frequently reported untoward reactions include dermatological abnormalities,^1-4hematological manifestations,^3,5,6peripheral neuritis,^3,7and nausea and vomiting.^2,4Sensitivity to nitrofurantoin was described by Israel and Diamond⁸in a patient with recurrent pulmonary infiltration and pleural effusion. The most dramatic, as well as the most serious, toxic manifestation of treatment with nitrofurantoin is an anaphylactoid reaction. Fisk⁹reported a patient who suffered from headache, epigastric pain radiating to the