Management of occupational allergy to natural rubber latex in a medical center:The importance of quantitative latex allergen measurement and objective follow-up

Hunt, Loren W.; Kelkar, Pramod S.; Reed, Charles E.; Yunginger, John W.

doi:10.1067/mai.2002.125442

Cited by 53 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…It is envisaged that this strategy will reduce the risk of sensitisation and development of allergy in sensitised individuals, as previous studies have shown that using NRL gloves with a low allergen content reduces the concentrations of allergens and the number of new cases of allergy. [11] Various studies have also reported latex proteins to be higher in powdered than in nonpowdered gloves, [7,12] and in the present study the total allergen content of the four Hev b allergens was >0.15 µg/g in all the powdered gloves tested. This is a reason to recommend powder-free gloves.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 49%

High concentrations of natural rubber latex allergens in gloves used by laboratory health personnel in South Africa

et al. 2014

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Introduction. Gloves made of natural rubber latex (NRL) are commonly used by healthcare workers because of their good qualities. However, allergic reactions to latex allergens are still commonly reported. Results. Twenty NRL gloves from 13 different brands were analysed. Only four (20%) of the 20 NRL gloves analysed had a total allergen content <0.15 µg/g, the suggested threshold limit for low allergenicity for the sum of these four allergens. Conclusion. This study demonstrated that a very low proportion of gloves tested had a total allergen content below the threshold for low allergenicity.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 49%

High concentrations of natural rubber latex allergens in gloves used by laboratory health personnel in South Africa

et al. 2014

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“…Th e results showed that 6.2% of participants were positive to type I hypersensitivity to latex. Subsequent research showed a decline in the incidence from 8.5% to 4.3%, which was related to using latex gloves of better quality with lesser amounts of allergens 7,21,27,28 . A study performed in Great Britain on the side eff ects of latex gloves among dentists revealed that the majority of allergies to latex could be controlled by self-medication, prescribed therapy and/or changing to other types of gloves 29 .…”

Section: Reactions To Latexmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occupational Contact Dermatitis Amongst Dentists and Dental Technicians

Lugović-Mihić

Ferček

Duvančić

et al. 2016

ACC

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SUMMARY -Since the working medical personnel including dentists and dental technicians mainly use their hands, it is understandable that the most common occupational disease amongst medical personnel is contact dermatitis (CD) (80%-90% of cases). Development of occupational CD is caused by contact of the skin with various substances in occupational environment. Occupational etiologic factors for dental personnel are foremost reactions to gloves containing latex, followed by various dental materials (e.g., metals, acrylates), detergents, lubricants, solvents, chemicals, etc. Since occupational CD is relatively common in dental personnel, its timely recognition, treatment and taking preventive measures is needed. Achieving skin protection at exposed workplaces is of special importance, as well as implementing necessary measures consequently and suffi ciently, which is sometimes diffi cult to achieve. Various studies have shown the benefi t of applying preventive measures, such as numerous protocols for reducing and managing latex sensitivity and other forms of CD in dentistry. Active involvement of physicians within the health care system, primarily dermatologists, occupational medicine specialists and general medicine doctors is needed for establishing an accurate medical diagnosis and confi rmation of occupational skin disease.

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“…Experience from the Mayo Clinic [17], emphasizing the importance of quantitative latex allergen measurement, showed that the change by the institute to low-allergen or undetectable allergen gloves led to a reduced concentration of allergens in the work place and decreased the number of new cases of occupational allergy. In addition, over the last decade there have been strict policies of using low-protein or low-allergen, powder-free NRL gloves in many hospitals and in some countries, particularly Finland, Germany, Italy and the UK.…”

Section: Decreasing Incidence and Prevalence Of Type I Allergymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In recent years, these changes have resulted in a significant reduction in the prevalence rates of allergic reactions to NRL. Experience from the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., USA [17] and Finland [18] showed that the change by an institute or hospital district specifically to low-allergen gloves or to gloves with undetectable allergen contents, led to a decrease in the incidence of new cases of occupational allergy. In Germany, Allmers et al [19] showed that a combination of educating physicians and administrators, together with regulations requiring that healthcare facilities only purchase low-protein, powder-free NRL gloves, can even lead to prevention of sensitization.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Latex Medical Gloves: Time for a Reappraisal

Palosuo

Antoniadou

Gottrup

et al. 2011

Int Arch Allergy Immunol

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Many hospitals have implemented policies to restrict or ban the use of devices made of natural rubber latex (NRL) in healthcare as precautionary measures against the perceived risk of NRL allergy. Changes in glove technology, progress in measuring the specific allergenic potential of gloves and a dramatic decrease in the prevalence of NRL allergies after interventions and education prompted us to revisit the basis for justifiable glove selection policies. The published Anglophone literature from 1990 to 2010 was reviewed for original articles and reviews dealing with the barrier and performance properties of NRL and synthetic gloves and the role of glove powder. The review shows that NRL medical gloves, when compared with synthetic gloves, tend to be stronger, more flexible and better accepted by clinicians. The introduction of powder-free gloves has been associated with reductions in protein content and associated allergies. Recently, new methods to quantify clinically relevant NRL allergens have enabled the identification of gloves with low allergenic potential. The use of low-protein, low-allergenic, powder-free gloves is associated with a significant decrease in the prevalence of type I allergic reactions to NRL among healthcare workers. Given the excellent barrier properties and operating characteristics, dramatically reduced incidences of allergic reactions, availability of specific tests for selection of low-allergen gloves, competitive costs and low environmental impact, the use of NRL gloves within the hospital environment warrants reappraisal.

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Management of occupational allergy to natural rubber latex in a medical center:The importance of quantitative latex allergen measurement and objective follow-up

Cited by 53 publications

References 47 publications

High concentrations of natural rubber latex allergens in gloves used by laboratory health personnel in South Africa

High concentrations of natural rubber latex allergens in gloves used by laboratory health personnel in South Africa

Occupational Contact Dermatitis Amongst Dentists and Dental Technicians

Latex Medical Gloves: Time for a Reappraisal

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