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British Journal of Anaesthesia 2008 101(4):486-491; doi:10.1093/bja/aen242
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 BJA: October 2008
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© The Board of Management and Trustees of the British Journal of Anaesthesia 2008. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Anaesthesia for patients with idiopathic environmental intolerance and chronic fatigue syndrome

M. McD. Fisher* and M. Rose

Royal North Shore Hospital of Sydney, St Leonards, NSW 2065, Australia

* Corresponding author. E-mail: mfisher{at}med.usyd.edu.au

Background: Idiopathic environmental intolerance syndrome (IEI), formerly known as multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome (MCSS), and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are controversial diseases and there is little information in the literature regarding the appropriate conduct of anaesthesia in such patients.

Methods: We studied 27 patients referred to our anaesthetic allergy clinic with IEI and CFS and performed literature and web searches on anaesthesia in these disorders.

Results: The patients had a significant incidence of adverse events related to anaesthesia which were not allergic in nature. The adverse effects usually occurred postoperatively and were self limiting. Patients with IEI and CFS are not at risk of anaphylaxis and there is no scientific evidence that any drug or technique is excessively hazardous. Neither our patients nor the review of the scientific literature supported available web-based recommendations for the anaesthetic management of patients with IEL and CFS.

Conclusions: We suggest that the anaesthetist may be best to use the technique they would use if the patient did not have CFS or IEI but avoid drugs to which there is a history of adverse response. Anaesthesia is likely to be associated with adverse effects in these patients but the effects are not likely to be severe. A series of recommendations for the safe and harmonious conduct of anaesthesia in patients with CFS and IEI are provided.

Keywords: allergy; anaesthesia, adverse effects; chronic fatigue syndrome; idiopathic environmental intolerance; multiple chemical sensitivities


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