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Antihistamines

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Compendium of Inflammatory Diseases

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Synonyms

H1 antagonists; H1 blockers; Histamine antagonists; Histamine blockers; Histamine receptor antagonists; Histamine receptor blockers

Definition

Antihistamines are a class of drugs that inhibit the physiological effects of histamine and are widely used in the treatment of allergic and related immunological diseases.

Introduction

In 1910–1911 the physiological and pathological effects of histamine were first described. There are two major groups of antihistamines: those which block H1 receptors (H1 antihistamines) and those which block the action of histamine at H2 receptors (H2 antihistamines). H1 antihistamines are widely used in the treatment of allergic and related immunological diseases. H2 blockers inhibit the secretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach and are considered only peripherally in this review.

Since their introduction in the 1940s, the H1 antihistamines have come into common use for the treatment of allergic diseases. Most importantly, the H1 antihistamines...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Immunology, Campbelltown Hospital, Sydney, NSW, 2560, Australia

    Ari Murad & Constance H. Katelaris

  2. Department of Pharmacology, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2048, Australia

    Garry G. Graham

  3. Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney, NSW, 2011, Australia

    Garry G. Graham

Authors
  1. Ari Murad
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  2. Constance H. Katelaris
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  3. Garry G. Graham
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Ari Murad or Constance H. Katelaris .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fraunhofer IME-TMP & JW Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Michael J. Parnham

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing AG

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Murad, A., Katelaris, C.H., Graham, G.G. (2016). Antihistamines. In: Parnham, M.J. (eds) Compendium of Inflammatory Diseases. Springer, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7643-8550-7_8

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