Drug induced Kounis syndrome: does oxidative stress play a role?

BACKGROUND: Kounis syndrome (KS) has been described as the coincidental occurrence of acute coronary syndromes during an allergic reaction with cardiac anaphylaxis. It is caused by inflammatory mediators released after exposure to drugs, food, environmental and other triggers. Oxidative stress occurring in various inflammatory disorders causes molecular damage with the production of advanced oxidation products (AOPPs) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs).

CASE PRESENTATION: Markers of oxidative stress were evaluated in a patient who had experienced KS after antibiotic administration in order to investigate the possible role of these molecules in KS. No data, up to now, are available on biomarkers of oxidative stress in patients with drug-induced KS.

CONCLUSIONS: AOPPs, but not AGEs, were significantly increased in the KS affected patient compared to controls as already reported in mastocytosis affected patients.