Researchers studied patients who experienced anaphylaxis during anesthesia in France from Jan. 1, 1997-Dec. 31, 2004. They combined the study sample data with that from the French pharmacovigilance system to estimate incidence on a national basis.
Results showed that 72.2 percent of patients were diagnosed with IgE-mediated reaction, most commonly due to neuromuscular blocking agents. Other causes of the reaction included latex and antibiotics. The median annual incidence per million procedures was higher for females than for males. However, in children there was no difference in incidence frequency between the sexes. The researchers suggest sex hormones may play a role in the increase of anaphylaxis in women after adolescence.
The study authors encourage physicians to consider allergic reactions to anesthesia when calculating the benefit-to-risk ratio of anesthetic techniques in individuals.
Read the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology abstract on anaphylaxis during anesthesia.
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