[Respiratory manifestations and intolerance to aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents]

This pathology is not due to the drug but revealed or aggravated by it. The most commonly implicated drugs are the anti-inflammatory group, especially aspirin. However, the list of drugs liable to induce intolerance continues to grow. The clinical manifestations are mainly observed in middle age and may regress. Drug intolerance can be demonstrated by provocative tests; it can be limited by methods of drug tolerance. The most commonly pathogenic mechanisms are: -inflammatory mechanisms (role of kinin), -disturbance of the metabolism of arachidonic acid, prostaglandin blockage, stimulation of leukotrienes. This expanding pathogenic entity is independent though similar in many aspects to the immediate forms of allergy, so explaining its importance in the general field of pseudo-allergy.