The world of cinema woke up in mourning this Friday. Michel Blanc, unforgettable Jean-Claude Dusse in “Les Bronzés”, died at the age of 72 on the night of Thursday to Friday. A major actor in comedic cinema in the 1980s, he then moved towards dramatic roles and a career as a director.
The actor would have, according to information from BMTTV, succumbed to a heart attack caused by anaphylactic shock. What is it about? 20 Minutes explains what we know about these types of serious and potentially fatal allergic reactions.
The most severe forms of allergies
As our colleagues report, Michel Blanc died as a result of anaphylactic shock which manifested itself as angioedema. “Anaphylaxis is the most severe manifestation of allergy: it corresponds to a generalized reaction, with a risk of recurrence,” explains Inserm. Nearly 5% of allergy sufferers are affected by this type of reaction. Anaphylactic shock itself is the most severe form of anaphylaxis. Potentially fatal, it constitutes an absolute medical emergency.”
Anaphylactic shock “can take different clinical forms”, continues Inserm, including “angioedema”. It “is triggered by the effect of certain substances secreted by the body in reaction to exposure of the body to an external element,” explains Health Insurance. These circulate in the blood vessels, which become more permeable. The increased passage of fluid from the vessels to the tissues is responsible for swelling of these tissues.” A reaction which can be very rapid, but “often associated with impressive images when it affects certain soft tissues of the face (lips, swollen eyelids, etc.), the edema does not systematically cause asphyxia when it presents in isolation , specifies the French Association for the Prevention of Allergies. But laryngeal edema, that is to say which affects the larynx (the throat) represents a danger because it can cause asphyxiation. This is a sign of a severe reaction.” And “damage to the glottis could cause choking”. How to recognize serious edema? “In case of hoarse voice, difficulty breathing, swelling of the tongue, a metallic taste in the mouth or significant salivation”.
A contrast product involved?
Under what circumstances did Michel Blanc have anaphylactic shock? Still according to our colleagues at BFMTV, it was following a medical examination during which he was injected with a contrast product that Michel Blanc had this reaction, which subsequently caused a heart attack. What types of exams are they used for? “Contrast products are used to carry out certain diagnostic examinations such as CT, MRI or even ultrasound,” indicates Vidal, the medicine bible. “They are used to artificially increase the contrast in order to better visualize an organ or a pathology,” adds the National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM). They are most often injected intravenously a few minutes before the examination is carried out.
For this type of examination, “a contrast product can make it possible to visualize a blood vessel, to highlight a tumor within healthy tissue, etc.,” explains Bayer Radiology France, a pharmaceutical laboratory. And if certain examinations do not require the administration of a contrast product because the imaging process allows good visibility of the anatomical structures, for others, however, the administration of a contrast product is necessary to highlight what we are looking for.”
“The worst we fear”
But the administration of a contrast product is very strictly regulated. Thus, “only the radiologist is authorized to decide whether or not to administer a contrast product and how,” continues the laboratory. For what ? Because these substances are known to frequently trigger allergic reactions. Thus, “the ANSM is regularly informed of the occurrence of immediate hypersensitivity reactions (HSI) with diagnostic contrast products,” indicates the medicines agency. These SAH reactions, although rare, can be life-threatening and sometimes fatal.” However, “all contrast products can cause minor or sometimes serious reactions (anaphylactic shock), continues the health agency. And HSI reactions are often unpredictable and can occur immediately after injection.”
“Allergies to contrast products are not common, but they can be very severe,” emphasizes Dr. Sylvie Silcret-Grieux, allergist. This is the worst thing we fear with these products. There are different contrast agents, some of which contain iodine. However, some people wrongly think that it is iodine which can trigger these serious allergic reactions but this is not the case, it is another molecule present in contrast products. There is no allergy to iodine. However, “There is no need to see an allergist before an imaging examination to find out if you are allergic to the contrast product,” says Dr. Silcret-Grieux. We will only do an assessment if there has already been an allergic reaction. Drug tests have no predictive value: we cannot predict a future allergy, we can only diagnose an allergy that has already occurred.”