Are You Really Allergic to Penicillin? (Update)
About this episode
Stephen Dubner explores the misdiagnosis of penicillin allergies and its implications.
Like tens of millions of people, Stephen Dubner thought he had a penicillin allergy. Like the vast majority, he didn’t. This misdiagnosis costs billions of dollars and causes serious health problems, so why hasn’t it been fixed? We find out in this update of a 2025 episode.
People in this episode
Host: Stephen Dubner
Topics covered
- allergy
- penicillin
- misdiagnosis
- healthcare
- costs
Keywords
- penicillin allergy
- misdiagnosis
- health problems
- healthcare costs
- Freakonomics
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