http://www.fpnotebook.com/

Latex Allergy

See Also
Epidemiology
1. Health care personnel: 5-10%
2. Asymptomatic Latex allergy: 50%
Types
1. Skin Irritation (non-immunologic)
  1. Stinging or burning
  2. Pruritus
  3. Skin fissuring
2. Contact Dermatitis (occurs 24-48h after exposure)
  1. Local erythematous rash in contact with latex
  2. Pruritus
  3. Swelling
  4. Blistering, weeping, or crusting
3. Systemic Hypersensitivity (potentially fatal)
  1. Occurs with skin, mucosal or even airborne contact
  2. Generalized rash
  3. Urticaria
  4. Pruritus
  5. Eye and nose irritation
    1. Allergic Rhinitis type symptoms
  6. Throat swelling
  7. Respiratory symptoms
    1. Wheezing
    2. Shortness of Breath
    3. Chest tightness
  8. Palpitations
  9. Anaphylaxis
Associated Allergies
1. Banana Allergy
Prevention
1. Switch to powder free latex gloves
2. Use alternatives to latex gloves (Dr Moses' favorites):
  1. Maxim - Sensicare Nitrile Powder Free (non-sterile)
  2. Regent Medical - Biogel Neotech (sterile)
3. Systemic Hypersensitivity
  1. Requires avoidance of healthcare setting
  2. Career change may be indicated for healthcare worker

Navigation Tree

Please see the Terms and Conditions. Please also see the privacy statement regarding advertising on this page. Although access to this page is not restricted, the information found here is intended for use by medical providers. Patients should address specific medical concerns with their physicians.

This page was written by Scott Moses, MD. This page was last revised before 5/10/08, prior to consistent tracking of revision date. This page was last published on 5/16/2008. Please send comments and questions to the editor. Contact information may be found on the page About the Family Practice Notebook. These pages are best viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0.