This episode of Freakonomics Radio delves into the common misdiagnosis of penicillin allergies. It discusses the history and effectiveness of penicillin while highlighting a surprising statistic: about 10% of people think they're allergic, even though fewer than 1% actually are. The podcast features insights from allergists who explain how penicillin allergy testing works and the serious health and financial consequences of misdiagnosis, such as higher mortality rates and unnecessary prescriptions of expensive and risky antibiotics. The episode wraps up by emphasizing the importance of improving testing methods and changing medical practices to cut down on false-positive penicillin allergies. A crucial takeaway is that many who think they are allergic can tolerate penicillin safely and should consider getting tested to avoid avoidable health issues and costs.
