Latex Allergy: It's Nothing New

The first mention of latex allergy in a medical journal occurred in 1933. Dr. John Downing published an article in the New England Journal of Medicine describing two surgeons who came to him complaining of hand dermatitis after wearing rubber gloves during surgery. He searched the current literature but was unable to find definite proof that rubber gloves were a cause of dermatitis, even though he knew of other surgeons who had the same problem.

Dr. Downing also reported seven public utility workers who had redness, swelling and fine vesicles on their hands after wearing rubber gloves while at work. The reactions increased when they wore a certain brand of rubber gloves, leading Dr. Downing to conclude that some gloves were more allergenic than others. The same type of reaction occurred in two control subjects who had rubber gloves applied to their bare arms. Dr. Downing cited a letter he received from the chief chemist of a rubber company which stated that the company had received approximately twenty reports of dermatitis caused by rubber gloves in the last twenty years (taking documented reactions back to 1913) and that he believed there were many more unreported occurrences. The chemist also mentioned that there were several reactions reported from other rubber goods which touched bare skin. You can access Dr. Downing’s article at http://www.immune.com/rubber/rubber_glov...

Further reports of allergic reactions were limited in the literature until 1979 when a homemaker had the first documented Type I immediate reaction to natural rubber latex. (See my article “Latex Allergy – Are You Risking Your Life For Your Job?” for a description of Type I reactions.) The real turning point came in 1987 when “Universal Precautions” was recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a result of the HIV scare. Every patient is treated as potentially infectious and the use of gloves and other personal protective equipment has skyrocketed. Since latex is considered the best barrier against blood borne diseases, manufacturers changed their production process to keep up with the increased demand for gloves. In the past, the latex was poured into glove molds. Now, glove forms are dipped into latex, allowing more of the latex proteins to remain in the gloves. In addition, powder is necessary to remove the glove from the form (so even “powder free” gloves have at least a small amount of powder) and this has been proven to be a carrier for the latex proteins. Increased use of latex gloves combined with the new manufacturing process increased latex exposure, especially among healthcare workers. There were already reports of hospital staff who were sensitized to latex gloves in 1987. By 1989, a correlation was made between allergic reactions in the operating room and Type I immediate reactions to natural rubber latex. At that time, 450 reactions and 15 deaths related to balloons or rubber catheters were registered.

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