Duration of an iodine allergy
An iodine allergy is an acute reaction of the immune system and is usually not of prolonged duration. The skin reactions should disappear within a few days with appropriate treatment. If a narrowing of the airways occurs and is treated with epinephrine, the symptoms improve within a very short time. However, caution is still required, as one must observe how the symptoms present themselves once the epinephrine has been broken down by the body. The anaphylactic shock alone can result in prolonged hospital treatment, but it also varies from person to person.
This is important in case of an allergy to a contrast medium
People with an iodine allergy react especially to some contrast media. The reason for this is that these contrast media contain large amounts of iodine. Contrast media are used in imaging to better depict certain structures of the body and are part of standard diagnostics.
Iodine allergy sufferers would be advised against such a contrast medium examination and try to find an alternative. In some cases, however, the administration of contrast media may be indispensable to enable other, dangerous diagnoses to be reliably diagnosed or ruled out. If this is not an emergency, the patient is given cortisone twelve and two hours before the examination.
Cortisone inhibits the immune system, making an exaggerated allergic reaction less likely. It is also possible to administer the cortisone through the vein once six hours before the examination. Immediately before the examination, the patient is given an antihistamine via the vein to block the effect of the “allergy hormone” histamine. If it is an emergency, it is not possible to wait for the cortisone to take effect before imaging. In this case one would only give the antihistamine.
The following points must be observed during an operation
During an operation, other disinfectants can be used if there is an iodine allergy. These offer the same protection against germs and you avoid possible skin reactions. Before the operation, there are discussions with the surgeons and the anaesthetist. Here it is important to mention that one has an iodine allergy, so that another disinfectant can be provided during the preparation of the operation.
