serum sickness

American  

noun

Pathology.

1. a generalized allergic reaction to a foreign serum or drug, characterized by fever, skin rash, enlarged lymph nodes, and painful joints.

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serum sickness British  

noun

1. an allergic reaction, such as vomiting, skin rash, etc, that sometimes follows 2-3 weeks after an injection of a foreign serum

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Etymology

Origin of serum sickness

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

serum sickness

At Harvard he, among many other things, discovered serum sickness, which Paul Ehrlich called the Theobald Smithsche Phenomenon.

From Time Magazine Archive

Of 2,000,000 tetanus antitoxin shots given annually in the U.S., an estimated 300,000 to 600,000 result in serum sickness, some in severe, possibly crippling serum neuritis.

From Time Magazine Archive

It is known to set off an infinite variety of allergic or "serum sickness" reactions, and causes up to 300 U.S. deaths a year.

From Time Magazine Archive

As a young doctor in Vienna, Schick worked with Clemens von Pirquet on serum sickness and similar sensitivities.

From Time Magazine Archive

Trouble is, the antitoxin, almost always prepared from the blood of horses, carries a heavy risk of serum sickness, which can be as deadly as tetanus.

From Time Magazine Archive