Are allergies/allergic reactions inherited?

KendraL86 · March 2014

My husband has a life threatening allergy/reaction to Erythromycin. I recently learned this is the same drug they use in the newborn eye drops. I'm now worried about the drops being administered in the hospital after birth. The eye drops are required in my state (though apparently there is an opt out procedure I could investigate).

Does anyone have any information on if drug reactions or allergies can be inherited? I have an appointment on Monday with my OB and will ask him then, but thought I'd ask here, too.

kseccomb17 · March 2014

Many of my family members have the same allergies to meds. We're all allergic to the
"mycin" drugs. Many people in my family are also allergic to iodine, and DD ended up having a terrible reaction in October. DH is allergic to peanuts, all of his brothers are allergic, and DD shows signs of the allergy also. Not sure if it's hereditary, but I definitely see a huge pattern in my family. I'd make sure talk to the doctor about it.

porterlove525 · March 2014

I'm not sure on the hereditary factor, but I'm severely allergic to all major strains of antibiotics (penicillin, vancomycin, keflax and levaquin) and no one else in my family is allergic to any antibiotics. My father has a latex allergy and none of us, or his siblings have it...so I don't necessarily believe in patterns there. Auto-immune diseases and things of that nature, those are definitely hereditary, but allergies may or may not be.

To be on the safe side, you can request that they do not use the Erythromycin on the baby. It's one of the many things you can say "no" to in your birth plan. I would definitely talk to your OB about it before hand though to let them know as there likely is an alternative you could use instead, given YH's reaction to the drug. We'll be skipping that and the Heb B shot when I deliver due to my allergies, as a precaution.

ambarnett1 · March 2014

My allergist told me at the beginning of my pregnancy that some allergies are heridetary, but that is not the only factor that can determine allergies. Definitely a case by case thing. Talk to your doctor and if your don't feel comfortable giving your LO the eye drops then don't. You are able to refuse anything your not comfortable with.

pineconey · March 2014

They definitely can be, but that's not always the case. Our doc just told us to be extra watchful when LO is exposed to things we are allergic to. If it were me and I had reasonable cause to believe LO could be allergic, I'd ask to opt out. They only really need the eye stuff if they are at risk of catching something from you, which the doc should be able determine with a simple test.
Good luck!

sozay23 · March 2014

While allergies are hereditary WHAT you are allergic to is not. Drs will likely not avoid the drug based on your DH's allergy. (I work in allergy so this is an educated statement)

KendraL86 · March 2014

Thanks, ladies. I do not have allergies,
so it's not an issue I've ever thought about before.

Since I know I am STD free, I feel comfortable declining the drops. I will talk to my doctor about it on Monday and update my birth plan/complete any necessary opt out forms.

Rrrrrachel · March 2014

Unless you have gonorrhea or chlamydia and don't know it the eye goop isn't necessary, so I would probably just skip it.

AcaAwkward · March 2014

I've heard most allergies that are passed on do so on the mother's side rather than the father's. But I have no idea if that's true (although, anecdotally, I know several families where mom and child share an allergy and dad and child do not). I'd definitely decline the eye drops though !

ekmebm · March 2014

A predisposition to having allergies is genetic. The specific triggers are not. I am allergic to penicillin, sulfa based drugs and green tea. My son is allergic to corn and bananas. He is likely allergic because I have allergies, but we are allergic to different things.

*sparky* · March 2014

I am allergic to sulfa drugs and DS is not. DH is allergic to cats and dogs but DS is only very mildly allergic to dogs. He does seem to have my seasonal allergies though.

HNRomance · March 2014

sozay23 said:

While allergies are hereditary WHAT you are allergic to is not. Drs will likely not avoid the drug based on your DH's allergy. (I work in allergy so this is an educated statement)

this. Immunity can be a tricky animal. However, we will not be doing eye ointment regardless even though we don't have an allergy factor reason.

WifeofaComposer · March 2014

I'm allergic to penicillin, amoxicillin, and sulfas, but Skippy is not. He is, however, allergic to peanuts like his dad is. His allergist said it was a coincidence that he and his dad are both allergic to peanuts, because she doesn't believe that peanut allergies are hereditary.

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