Épidémiologie des réactions d’hypersensibilité immédiates peranesthésiques chez l’adulte et l’enfant

Immediate hypersensitivity reactions occurring during anaesthesia, whether IgE-mediated or non IgE-mediated, remain a major cause of concern. The authors report results from an eight-year survey conducted by the GERAP. From 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2004, 2516 patients who had experienced an immediate hypersensitivity reaction were included in this survey. A non-IgE mediated reaction was diagnosed in 700 cases (27.82%) and an IgE mediated reaction in 1816 cases (72.18%). The most common causes were neuromuscular blocking agents (n = 1067, 58.08%), latex (n = 361, 19.65%) and antibiotics (n = 236, 12.85%). The results were significantly different in children: latex was incriminated in more than 50% of the cases, followed by neuromuscular blocking agents (39%) and antibiotics (10.2%). The data showed a female predominance in adults but not in children, whatever the mechanism of the reaction. These results emphasize the need for systematic screening in case of an immediate hypersensitivity reaction during anaesthesia and for the development of centres specializing in perioperative allergies capable of providing expert advice to anaesthesiologists and allergists.