Too many dangerous allergies

Mastocytosis is a rare clonal disease characterized by an abnormal proliferation of mast cells, which accumulate in one or several organ systems such as skin, bone marrow, liver, spleen, lymph nodes and gastrointestinal tract. The heterogeneity of the clinical presentation is typically related to different disease burdens in various tissues and symptoms due to the release of mast cell mediators. The diagnosis is often difficult and delayed. Here we describe the case of a 70-year old patient with a past history of drug-induced anaphylactic shock whose clinical presentation was dramatic and required intensive support: the diagnosis of systemic mastocytosis was reached after the exclusion of diseases more commonly encountered in routine clinical practice (e.g. stroke, pulmonary embolism).