title: [Allergies and pseudoallergic reactions to anesthetics. The clinical symptoms, risk factors and the diagnostic possibilities].
abstract: Nearly all drugs currently used during the course of general anaesthesia may lead to hypersensitivity reactions of various types. There may be an acute type I allergic reactions or to a more or less severe pseudo-allergic reactions, in rare cases with lethal outcome. Routine preoperative testing appears of little predictive value, in spite of the high frequency of so-called risk factors (atopy, other kind of allergy) among the evaluated group of patients. Careful allergological testing should be performed 4 to 6 weeks after any incidents of suspected drug intolerance, in order to discover the underlying causative agent. Skin testing is of diagnostic value for neuromuscular blockers and intravenous narcotics. RAST- and RIA-tests and/or mediator releasing tests may also used additionally. Together with all other administered drugs, all the routinely used neuromuscular blockers (suxamethonium, vecuronium, pancuronium, alcuronium, atracurium, mivacurium) should be tested, since they often represent the cause for such reactions. For other classes of drugs (for example, volatile anesthetics and opioids) the clinical relevance of skin testing still remains uncertain. For less severe incidents seen during general anaesthesia such as pruritus, or exanthema, skin testing seems to be less relevant.
authors.affiliation: Universitäts-Hautklinik und Poliklinik, Klinikum Benjamin Franklin, Freie Universität Berlin.
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Rosenberger
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Treudler
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Blume-Peytavi
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Zouboulis
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Schaffartzik
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Orfanos
mesh_terms: D000777:Anesthetics / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004342:Drug Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007159:Immunologic Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D000777:Anesthetics
vernacular_title: Allergien und pseudoallergische Reaktionen auf Narkosemittel. Klinische Symptomatik, Risikofaktoren und Nachweismöglichkeiten.