NSAIDs such as aspirin can produce a type of allergic response in some patients. Which step, if blocked, is responsible for causing this drug allergy? <image 1>
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In some patients, irreversible COX inhibition by aspirin can cause a 'shunting' of prostaglandin metabolism down the LOX pathway, resulting in an accumulation of leukotrienes. Leukotrienes are one of the types of cytokines involved in producing asthma.