Painkiller Antibody Panel

Available for Serum or Whole Blood Specimens from Finger Stick

Acetaminophen and NSAIDs
Acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used nationwide to treat pain, fever, headache, backache, muscle and menstrual pain.  NSAIDs as the name implies, are used to treat the inflammation that often accompanies these problems.  Two well-known NSAIDs are aspirin and ibuprofen.

These drugs are present in a variety of over-the-counter (OTC) preparations; drops, syrups, emulsions, capsules and pills for such conditions as cold, flu, allergy, and sleeplessness.

Adverse Drug Reactions
Adverse drug reactions are a common clinical problem that may cause a variety of conditions involving the skin, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal and respiratory systems.  An adverse drug reaction (ADR) is an undesirable effect beyond the drug’s expected therapeutic effect.  ADRs are a major health problem and cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In the United States alone, over 100,000 deaths are attributed annually to a serious ADR.  Susceptibility to an ADR is multi-factorial involving not only genetic differences, or enzyme polymorphisms in drug metabolism, but also environmental factors such as concomitant infection or chronic illness. Female gender, adult age, or previous reaction to a chemically-related drug may also predispose the individual to an ADR.  

The Immune Response in Drug Hypersensitivity
Immunologic ADRs may be classified under Types I –IV hypersensitivity reactions; a classic framework for understanding the major immune mechanisms involved.  Types I-III involve antibody molecules specific to the drug. IgE antibodies mediate Type I reactions; antibodies other than IgE such as IgG mediate Type II and III reactions.  Type IV reactions involve drug-specific T-cells. Each orchestrates an inflammatory cascade of events to recognize, neutralize and eliminate the drug from the body.

Drugs are not regarded as complete antigens able to induce an immune response. An antigen is generally a protein of high molecular weight; for example, food proteins, tree and grass pollens. Drugs on the other hand are chemicals of low molecular weight. Drugs or their metabolites are thought to function as “haptens” that can chemically combine with a soluble or cell-bound protein or peptide to form a complete antigen, or “hapten-protein complex”. This modification makes it immunogenic so that antibodies can recognize it directly. 

Clinical evaluation of the individual should include a detailed history of all medications taken within the last month including dosage and temporal relationship to signs and symptoms. Laboratory testing of specific antibodies may aid in the assessment of drug sensitization.

US BioTek’s ELISA Painkiller Antibody Panel is a semi-quantitative analysis of serum for specific-IgG and IgA antibodies to: 

Acetaminophen           Aspirin                        Ibuprofen

As with all laboratory tests, results should be assessed in light of the patient’s full medical history.

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