LATEX ALLERGY IN PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL

Allergy to natural latex proteins has been recently recognized as a da ngerous entity among health care professionals. Cutaneous symptoms rel ated to latex glove use vary from the redness and scaling of contact d ermatitis to urticaria, In addition, anaphylactic reactions have been reported. We report the spectrum of reactions to latex glove use in 93 members of our emergency department (ED) staff during a one-month stu dy period, In addition, we attempt to correlate these symptoms with se rologic evidence of atopy and latex allergy, Eighty-four of these subj ects underwent total serum immunoglobulin E and latex-specific radioal lergosorbent test (RAST) testing, Fifty-four percent of subjects repor ted symptoms relating to latex glove use, categorized as either contac t dermatitis (48.4%) or urticaria (5.4%), Of the urticaria group, two subjects reported additional symptoms related to latex glove use such as rhinitis, conjunctivitis, or sneezing, All three groups of subjects (asymptomatic, contact dermatitis, and urticaria) were alike with res pect to age, sex, and race, The urticaria group reported a higher inci dence of environmental allergies (chi(2), P = 0.02). Serum total immun oglobulin E levels and latex-specific RAST results did not differ amon g the three groups, The one subject with a positive latex-specific RAS T reported urticarial and nasoocular symptoms when exposed to latex gl oves, Seventeen percent of symptomatic subjects reported decreased use of latex gloves because of these symptoms, It was concluded that many members of our pediatric ED staff exhibit a sensitivity to latex anti gens, Clinical symptoms, rather than serologic testing, must be used t o identify latex-sensitive individuals in this setting, Recommendation s are offered to assist In the identification and management of hospit al personnel who exhibit allergy to latex-containing products.