Reported Penicillin Allergy Affects the Length of Hospital Stay in Patients with Erysipelas

Patients with a reported penicillin allergy are often treated with less effective antibiotics. This study examined the impact of anamnestic penicillin allergy on the length of hospital stay in patients with erysipelas, a condition for which penicillin is considered the first-line therapy and addresses the question: Does anamnestic penicillin allergy directly affect the length of hospital stay in patients with erysipelas? This retrospective analysis included patients who were admitted to the University Medical Center Regensburg for the treatment of erysipelas. The data analysed were sex, age at diagnosis, body temperature at admission, C-reactive protein, leucocyte count, procalcitonin, length of hospital stay, Charlson Comorbidity Index and antibiotic therapy. Patients were divided into 2 groups: with and without the label anamnestic penicillin allergy. Multiple regression analysis showed that patients with anamnestic penicillin allergy stayed 1.83 days longer in hospital than patients without anamnestic penicillin allergy (mean length of stay 12.17±7.01 days for patients with anamnestic penicillin allergy compared to 10.34±4.80 days for patients without anamnestic penicillin allergy, as determined by a t-test p=0.046). According to our data, anamnestic penicillin allergy is associated with prolonged hospital stay. Therefore, delabelling of penicillin allergy should be widely implemented.