Allergic Reaction to Titanium Hip Joint

I saw a post at this site for a person who had similar symptoms from knee replacment surgery.

I had a titanium hip joint replacement and about 6 or 7 weeks after surgery I started to have itchiness (all over my body) and hives.  It started with a slight itch in the late afternoon and became severed after dinner in the early evening.

I have seen an allergist and had blood work done and am waiting for the results and a follow up appointment.

I also have a raised lesion towards the top of my incision which has confused my wife and I since I had some lesions from the originally bandages but this lesion is raised with a red border is about the size of a silver dollar and I think could be related to the problem.  I will be contacting the surgeons nurse to follow up on this.

I also had indigestion and some stomach discomfort and originally thought I was having some sort of food allergy.

The allergist prescibed Xyzal and Ramitidine - these were not covered by my insurance but over the counter equivalents, i.e. Cetirizine Hydrochloride and Zantac 150, have almost fully controlled the itchiness and I have not had any hives since taking these medications.  I have had some indigestion and stomach issues but much less than before.

Any thoughts or advice would be welcome.

PEN

[grbob]

Was there any indication that the rash/hives were from the titanium in the hip? My husband had a titanium hip replacement last fall and suddenly is covered with a rash and hives.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Allergic reaction to titanium is possible although rare. Titanium which is a bioactive metal is capable of tricking the body into believing that the implant is a bone.  Because of this the bone bonds to the implant. When the implant moves after it is placed, the body recognizes it as a foreign object and rejects it. This causes an allergic reaction to the implant.

Diagnosis is done by skin patch test or blood tests for allergy. MELISA (Memory Lymphocyte Immunostimulation Assay) test is a blood test that is confirmatory for metal allergy.

I feel that you should consult your doctor and talk about this allergy and the option of changing the implant as avoidance is the only treatment for metal allergies. Desensitization techniques, such as allergy shots, also are not effective for metal allergies.
It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.