THE INCIDENCE OF LATEX SENSITIVITY IN AMBULATORY SURGICAL PATIENTS - A CORRELATION OF HISTORICAL FACTORS WITH POSITIVE SERUM IMMUNOGLOBIN-ELEVELS

Increasing reports of: latex-induced anaphylaxis make preoperative ide ntification of latex-sensitive individuals an important concern. The i ncidence of latex sensitivity and the efficacy of questionnaires in id entifying this in ambulatory surgical populations have not been determ ined. To clarify these issues, 996 ambulatory surgical patients were s tudied preoperatively. A questionnaire addressing demographic informat ion, previous surgeries, history of atopy, previous exposure or reacti ons to latex, congenital abnormalities, and food allergies was adminis tered. These data were then compared with serum anti-latex immunoglobi n E (IgE) levels (AlaSTAT test), and risk factors, sensitivity, and sp ecificity were determined. Of this population, 6.7% had IgE antibodies against latex (i.e., latex sensitivity). Male gender, non-Caucasian r ace, age, asthma, spinal cord abnormalities, food allergies, stated la tex allergy, and symptoms when exposed to latex increased the risk of latex sensitivity. The specificity and positive predictive value of hi story were low. No systemic allergic reactions occurred, a finding tha t could be attributed to chance alone. The incidence of latex sensitiv ity in this population suggests that latex allergy is a significant po tential problem in ambulatory surgical patients. History, however, doe s not appear to be a reliable predictor of the presence of anti-latex antibodies.