Allergy to local anesthetics: Reality or myth?

Jean-Marc Malinovsky (1) , Anca Chiriac (2) , Charles Tacquard (3) , Paul Michel Mertes (3) , Pascal Demoly (2)

1 Hôpital Maison Blanche
2 Département pneumologie et addictologie [Montpellier]
3 CHU Strasbourg - Centre Hospitalier Universitaire [Strasbourg]

The incidence of allergic reactions to local anesthetics is low. Most cases involve a psychogenic reaction rather than an allergic reaction. Additives and preservatives added to local anesthetics may cause allergic reactions. Vascular resorption of epinephrine-containing local anesthetics may produce cardiovascular signs similar to an allergic reaction. Diagnosis of allergy to local anesthetics must be established by skin testing and provocative challenge.

Domaines: Médecine humaine et pathologie

Jean-Marc Malinovsky, Anca Chiriac, Charles Tacquard, Paul Michel Mertes, Pascal Demoly. Allergy to local anesthetics: Reality or myth?. La Presse Médicale, 2016, 45 (9), pp.753 - 757. ⟨10.1016/j.lpm.2016.05.011⟩. ⟨hal-01864694⟩