Anaphylaxis and Pregnancy: A Systematic Review and Call for Public Health Actions

Although rare, anaphylaxis during pregnancy implies a risk to both mothers and newborns.

This systematic review is intended to identify key issues in the diagnosis and management of this condition to support prevention strategies and decrease the risk for death related to anaphylaxis during pregnancy.

We searched MEDLINE, Cochrane, LILACS, SciELO, and Science Direct databases for manuscripts concerning the term "anaphylaxis during pregnancy," without language restrictions. We screened studies, extracted data, and assessed the risk for bias independently in duplicate.

We selected 12 articles. Frequency of anaphylaxis during maternity was estimated to be 1.5 to 3.8 per 100,000 pregnancies. Only one study provided anaphylaxis mortality data in pregnant women; the rate of anaphylaxis-related maternal mortality was estimated at 0.05/100,000 live births. No standard definition of anaphylaxis severity has been used. A total of 49% to 74% of anaphylaxis cases were described during caesarean section. Beta-lactam antibiotics (58%), latex (25%), and anesthetic agents (17%) were the main causes. In 17% of reports, causative agents were proven by allergy testing. Moreover, 72% of articles proposed the same management and treatment for a clinical episode of anaphylaxis during pregnancy as for nonpregnant patients, and the use of epinephrine in the patient's care during anaphylaxis in pregnancy.

Few studies address anaphylaxis during pregnancy. Most have been produced by nonallergy specialists. Collaboration among different specialists involved in the care of pregnant women should be established to support preventive strategies and reduce avoidable deaths.