Anaphylaxis as an adverse event following immunisation
Michel Erlewyn-Lajeunesse 1*, Jan Bonhoeffer 2, Jens U Ruggeberg 3 and Paul T Heath 4
1 University of Bristol, United Kingdom
2 University Children's Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
3 Pädiatrische Infektiologie, Universitätskinderklinik, Düsseldorf, Germany
4 St Georges' University of London, United Kingdom
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mich.lajeunesse{at}bristol.ac.uk.
Accepted 4 January 2007
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Abstract |
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Anaphylaxis is an acute hypersensitivity reaction with multi-organ-system involvement that can rapidly progress to a severe life-threatening reaction. It has been difficult to provide a robust clinical definition of anaphylaxis because of the non-specificity of symptoms and variability of presentation. Anaphylaxis can occur to a variety of allergens, and is a rare, but well recognised Adverse Event Following Immunisation (AEFI). Several groups have recently tried to provide a working definition of anaphylaxis. This article reviews these definitions and discusses the challenges for vaccine safety in reliably identifying anaphylaxis as an AEFI.
Key Words:
adverse event, anaphylaxis, hypersensitivity, immunisation, vaccination
