pseudo-allergic
|pseu-do-al-ler-gic|
🇺🇸
/ˌsuː.doʊ.əˈlɝ.dʒɪk/
🇬🇧
/ˌsuː.dəʊ.əˈlɜː.dʒɪk/
false allergy-like reaction
Etymology
'pseudo-allergic' is built from the prefix 'pseudo-' (from Greek 'pseudes' meaning 'false') combined with 'allergic' (from 'allergy' + suffix '-ic').
'pseudo-' comes from Greek 'pseudes' meaning 'false'; 'allergy' comes from Greek 'allos' ('other') + 'ergon' ('work'), giving 'allergy' in modern medical use; the compound 'pseudo-allergic' arose in modern medical English to denote reactions that appear allergic but are not immune-mediated.
Initially 'pseudo-' meant 'false' and 'allergic' related to 'allergy'; together they evolved to mean 'appearing allergic but not caused by the immune mechanisms that define true allergy.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a clinical reaction that mimics an allergic response but lacks an immunologic (sensitization) basis; often called a pseudo-allergy or pseudoallergic reaction.
Clinicians distinguished the pseudo-allergy from a true IgE-mediated allergy based on testing.
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Adjective 1
resembling or producing symptoms like an allergic reaction but not caused by specific immune (IgE-mediated) mechanisms; a non-immunologic hypersensitivity.
The patient developed a pseudo-allergic reaction to the contrast agent during the scan.
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Last updated: 2025/09/29 04:55