LATEX CLOVES WITH A LOWER PROTEIN-CONTENT REDUCE BRONCHIAL REACTIONS IN SUBJECTS WITH OCCUPATIONAL ASTHMA CAUSED BY LATEX

Latex gloves have been documented as causing rhinitis and asthma. Usin g inhalation challenges, we evaluated the bronchial response to hypoal lergenic gloves in eight health care workers with latex-induced asthma . The subjects were exposed to the powdered latex gloves causing asthm a at work and various brands of gloves with a lower protein content, e ither low-powdered, nonpowdered, or powdered. Exposure to hypoallergen ic groves resulted in the absence (in six subjects) or a significant r eduction (in two subjects) of bronchial response. The effects of repea ted exposure to hypoallergenic gloves was assessed in two subjects who did not demonstrate changes in peak expiratory flow rates and nonspec ific bronchial responsiveness to histamine. This study on a limited nu mber of patients suggests that the use of hypoallergenic gloves could be an effective means of reducing the risk of asthmatic reactions in h ealth care workers with latex-induced asthma when complete avoidance c annot be achieved. The long-term effect of exposure as well as the wid espread use of hypoallergenic gloves warrant further investigation on larger cohorts of subjects.