titanium allergies

my son had lumbar back surgery and had titanium rods, ect put into his back about 8 months ago.  he has had quite a few allergy symptoms since the surgery.  one lip will swell, or his tounge or his other lip, his hand will swell.  he has gone to the emergency room at least four times with difficulty breathing due to his tounge being swallen, they only tell him to take benadryl and give him steroids.  could he be allergic to the titanium?  why won't anyone order a test for this kind of allergy testing?  

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

True allergy to titanium is rare.When titanium is combined with other metals like nickel,then allergy can take place as nickel is a  common sensitizer.As your son had these symptoms only after titanium implants,so allergy can be a possibility.

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.

Hope it helps.Take care and regards.