Hypersensitivity to natural rubber latex (NRL) in health care personnel exposed to powdered latex gloves appears as conjunctivitis, rhinitis, nasal congestion, cough, dyspnea, or bronchial asthma in approximately 30% of all cases with latex allergy while most of the patients have contact urticaria. The purpose of the present study was to determine the prevalence of latex-induced allergic rhinitis in health care workers using NRL gloves on a daily basis.
Clinical examination accompanied by skin prick test (SPT) with latex glove extracts and common aeroallergens, measurements of specific IgE to NRL, and lung function tests were performed in 25 symptomatic workers and 11 latex-exposed asymptomatic controls. Sensitization to NRL was detected using SPT in one (4%) of 25 symptomatic workers but not in any of the asymptomatic controls. Positive SPT to aeroallergens was demonstrated in 8/25 symptomatic workers and 6/11 controls. Measurements of forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 sec, and bronchial methacholine challenge did not show any significant differences between the study groups. In conclusion, NRL-aeroallergen-induced occupational rhinitis may occur among physicians and nurses who have a frequent use of latex gloves on a daily basis at hospital work. However, a relatively low prevalence of NRLinduced occupational rhinitis is associated with profuse consumption of no-powder sterile gloves.