an allergic reaction, such as vomiting, skin rash, etc, that sometimes follows 2-3 weeks after an injection of a foreign serum
serum sickness in American English
noun
Pathology
a generalized allergic reaction to a foreign serum or drug, characterized by fever, skin rash, enlarged lymph nodes, and painful joints
Also called: serum disease
Word origin
[1910–15]This word is first recorded in the period 1910–15. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: cat and mouse, coverage, insulin, radio, zing
Examples of 'serum sickness' in a sentence
serum sickness
No anaphylactic or serum sickness allergic reactions were observed in patients after treatment.
J. A. Ayres, B. Barraviera, S. A. Calvi, N. R. Carvalho, M. T. S. Peraçoli 2006, 'Antibody and cytokine serum levels in patients subjected to anti-rabies prophylaxiswith serum-vaccination', Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins including Tropical Diseaseshttp://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1678-91992006000300008. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
However, “serum sickness” antibodies were also noted in various human disease states.
Chirag Dhar, Chirag Dhar, Aniruddha Sasmal, Aniruddha Sasmal, Ajit Varki, Ajit Varki 2019, 'From “Serum Sickness” to “Xenosialitis”: Past, Present, and Future Significance ofthe Non-human Sialic Acid Neu5Gc', Frontiers in Immunologyhttps://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fimmu.2019.00807/full. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
Secondary (safety) outcomes were the incidences of anaphylactic, pyrogenic and late serum sickness-type antivenomreactions.
Isa S Abubakar, Saidu B Abubakar, Abdulrazaq G Habib, Abdulsalam Nasidi, Nandul Durfa,Peter O Yusuf, Solomon Larnyang, John Garnvwa, Elijah Sokomba, Lateef Salako, R DavidG Theakston, Ed Juszczak, Nicola Alder, David A Warrell 2010, 'Randomised controlled double-blind non-inferiority trial of two antivenoms for saw-scaledor carpet viper (Echis ocellatus) envenoming in Nigeria.', PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseaseshttp://europepmc.org/articles/PMC2910709?pdf=render. Retrieved from PLOS CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
Targeted medical histories of injection site/infusion reactions, serum sickness, and thromboembolic events were collected.
Robert J Moots, Ricardo M Xavier, Chi Chiu Mok, Mahboob U Rahman, Wen-Chan Tsai, MustafaH Al-Maini, Karel Pavelka, Ehab Mahgoub, Sameer Kotak, Joan Korth-Bradley, Ron Pedersen,Linda Mele, Qi Shen, Bonnie Vlahos 2017, 'The impact of anti-drug antibodies on drug concentrations and clinical outcomes inrheumatoid arthritis patients treated with adalimumab, etanercept, or infliximab:Results from a multinational, real-world clinical practice, non-interventional study.',PLoS ONEhttp://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5407581?pdf=render. Retrieved from PLOS CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
The cascade leads to subsequent inflammation, serum sickness, thrombohemorrhagic phenomena, colloidal instability, and ultimately even death.
Robert M. Davidson, Stephanie Seneff 2012, 'The Initial Common Pathway of Inflammation, Disease, and Sudden Death', Entropyhttp://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/14/8/1399. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)