Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Oct;17(4):381-385.
doi: 10.17085/apm.22195. Epub 2022 Oct 20.

Do cross-food allergies to propofol exist?

Carles Espinós Ramírez  1   2 , Marta Viñas Domingo  1 , Anna Peig Font  1   2 , Paula Gil Esteller  1   2 , Maria José Castillo Marchuet  1 , Maria Pilar Saura Foix  1 , Juan Carlos Martín Sanchez  2 , Maria Martinez García  1   2
Affiliations

Do cross-food allergies to propofol exist?

Carles Espinós Ramírez et al. Anesth Pain Med (Seoul). 2022 Oct.

Abstract

Background: Propofol is a short and rapidly acting intravenous anesthetic extensively used for the induction and maintenance of general anesthesia. It is a lipid emulsion that contains soybean oil, purified egg phosphatide, and egg lecithin. Therefore, the package leaflet indicates that its administration is contraindicated in patients allergic to soy, eggs, or peanuts. Our study aimed to determine whether patients with proven food allergies are allergic to propofol.

Methods: Patients of all ages allergic to soy, eggs, or peanuts who agreed to undergo skin testing for propofol allergies were included. The subjects first underwent a skin test to confirm food allergies. If candidates were negative, they were excluded. If the result was positive, a propofol skin test was performed.

Results: Sixty-four patients with confirmed food allergies underwent a propofol skin test. Only one was positive in the propofol skin test (1.6%). The patient was allergic to peanuts and soybeans. These results reinforce the idea that there is no justification for avoiding propofol use in these subjects.

Conclusions: Propofol can be safely administered to patients allergic to soy, eggs, or peanuts. We recommend caution in patients with a history of anaphylaxis after ingestion of the above-mentioned foods.

Keywords: Egg; Food allergy; Food sensitization; Peanuts; Propofol; Soy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

References

    1. Hofer KN, McCarthy MW, Buck ML, Hendrick AE. Possible anaphylaxis after propofol in a child with food allergy. Ann Pharmacother. 2003;37:398–401. - PubMed
    1. Audicana Berasategui MT, Barasona Villarejo MJ, Corominas Sánchez M, De Barrio Fernández M, García Avilés MC, García Robaina JC, et al. Drug Allergy Committee of the Spanish Society of; Allergology and Clinical Immunology (Sociedad Espafiola de Alergologia e; Inmunologfa Clinica, SEAIC). Potential hypersensitivity due to the food or food additive content of medicinal products in Spain. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol. 2011;21:496–506. - PubMed
    1. Martínez S, Lasa EM, Joral A, Infante S, Perez R, Ibáñez MD, Childhood Allergy Committee, Spanish Society of Allergy and clinical Immunology Recommendations for the use of propofol in egg-allergic patients. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol. 2019;29:72–4. - PubMed
    1. Baker MT, Naguib M. Propofol: the challenges of formulation. Anesthesiology. 2005;103:860–76. - PubMed
    1. Sicherer SH, Sampson HA, Burks AW. Peanut and soy allergy: a clinical and therapeutic dilemma. Allergy. 2000;55:515–21. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources