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Conditions
Hypersensitivity
Serum sickness

Serum sickness

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Serum sickness is a type of hypersensitivity reaction (type iii immune reaction) that occurs when the immune system develops antibodies to a foreign protein. The antibody and the foreign protein combine to form an immune complex (ic) that can settle in areas of the body such as the joints or the kidney. The ic can damage these areas and cause arthralgias and glomerulonephritis for example.

Dr. Thomas Klein reviewed this

43 year experience in Allergy and Immunology

Is a type of:

Hypersensitivity

How long it usually lasts:

Short-term (lasts days to weeks)

How common it is:

Common

Related questions

A 34-year old asked:

Whats serum sickness?

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Can serum sickness be cured?

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A 41-year old asked:

How can I treat serum sickness?

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A 45-year old asked:

Can you die from serum sickness?

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A 33-year old asked:

Has anyone else had serum sickness?

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Can I die from serum sickness if I ignore it?

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A 29-year old asked:

Are some people more prone to getting serum sickness?

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A 47-year old asked:

What are the differences between arthrus reaction and serum sickness?

1 doctor answer • 3 doctors weighed in

A 33-year old male asked:

What part of the classical complement pathway is affected in chronic serum sickness? I read that C3 was low in this case. Anything else in general?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 61-year old female asked:

Had serum sickness from penicillin allergy 25 yrs ago. I was thinking of being tested to see if I still have it. Could this go away after all these yrs. Is it worth being tested?

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A 26-year old female asked:

4yr old son has serum sickness, hives are getting worse and ankles are swollen, ive been giving him ben. And mot. Is there something else for itching?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 61-year old female asked:

I had what was thought to be serum sickness 20 yrs ago from penicillin. Is it worth to go through penicillin allergy testing now to see if I perhaps still have that allergy?

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A 20-year old female asked:

I've taken three dosages of bactrum ds can I still end up having serum sickness? My left hand hurts right on the top. For no apparent reason. That's why I was wondering

2 doctor answers • 3 doctors weighed in

A 42-year old male asked:

I was put on Sulfasalazine 4 months ago to manage an autoimmune disease which surfaced after Covid vaccines as serum sickness. Today I was diagnosed Covid positive. Can I be considered immunocompromised and at risk and do I qualify for antivirals?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 42-year old male asked:

10 months of struggling with symptoms (vasculitis, urticaria, lymphadenopathy, polyarthritis) since 1st Covid-19 vaccine now diagnosed with Serum Sickness. I'm put on Sulfasalazine and autohemotherapy. has the disease damaged my joints/hips already?

2 doctor answers • 2 doctors weighed in

A 31-year old asked:

For what reason serum cu and ceruloplasmin levels are paradoxically low in wilson's disease?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 21-year old asked:

My dr. Says I have high copper in my blood (serum copper). Could I have wilson disease?

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A 23-year old male asked:

Liver Dr's-Is it JUST fibrosis that can be assessed/likely diagnosed from the serum marker tests like ELF, or other disease also? Thanks

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A 28-year old female asked:

My Crestinine serum level is 1.01 but the range is 0.57-1.00 does this mean I have kidney disease or failure, please explain? Please help

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A 32-year old male asked:

For 57+ Indian female of height 5.2 ft & weight 71 kg, does serum creatinine 1.0 mg/dL [0.6 - 1.1] indicate any early stage kidney disorder ?

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A 32-year old male asked:

For 57+ F (71 kg, 5.2 ft) does serum creatinine 1.0 mg/dL assure of no kidney disorder, stone etc ?

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A 29-year old female asked about a 38-year old female:

My husbands serum creatine level is 1.39 and hb 11.2, he is 39 years old, is this an indication of kidney disease?

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Does a normal serum copper level and serum ceruloplasmin level of 21 rule out wilson's disease? Have fatty liver with zero risk factors & mansymptoms

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A 41-year old asked:

Why coes serum aminotransferase increase in liver disease like viral hepatitis ?

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A 36-year old male asked:

I have Low caeruloplamin 0.19g/L and low serum copper 12.5 umol/L - units (Australian). Do I have Wilson Disease? or Copper deficiency? Thanks.

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What causes elevated calcitriol (108.5 pg/mL) with elevated serum Ca, normal PTH. No granuloma disease.

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A 49-year old male asked:

What illness could explain ELEVATED C3 and C4 complement serum levels in the presence of angioedema? ANA and Rheum Arth Factor both negative.

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A 22-year old female asked:

My age :23, my sgpt is 95, sgot is 45, serum bilirubin is 0.8 & uric acid is 6.4 i feel breathing problem what disease this?

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A 26-year old male asked:

I have done blood test and liver function test 3 weeks ago, where liver function count came normal then after 3 weeks (today) I have done the liver function test , serum bilirubin came as 44 umol and will it be Gilbert syndrome ?? Liver disease??

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 26-year old female asked:

Does low serum globulin affect blood tests that assess immunoglobulin levels? For example if an illness caused proteinuria, could a disease actually cause the test for it to be falsely negative?

2 doctor answers • 2 doctors weighed in

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