Study on the actual state of latex allergy in healthcare personnel and children in Toyama prefecture, and an attempt to develop a low allergic latex

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We studies on the actual state of latex allergy through the analyses of answers on the questionnaire obtained from 641 healthcare personnel including 580 nurses and 405 children with the mean age of 12.6 years in Toyama prefecture. The main findings are summarized as follows.1. By the analyses of answers of healthcare personnel, 20.7% of the responders were latex-sensitized group(LSG). Especially, younger nurses and nurses working in the operation theater were considered to be at the high risk of LSG. Two nurses were diagnosed as latex allergy by the serological test. Half of healthacre facilities have not yet avoided to use the powder-free latex gloves. To control their symptoms, as much as 79% of responders in LSG used lotion or humidified cream which are thought to facilitate to latex allergy.2. By the analyses of answers of children, 80 children(19.8%) were LSG. LSG was 4.55 years younger and showed a significantly higher prevalence rate of allergic diseases than the remaining 325 children. Most children in LSG cited sticking plaster, and rubber gloves and balloons as allergy-realted latex products. To control their symptoms, they avoided the use of causative latex products or consulted with doctors, but no children received diagnostic tests of latex allergy.3. Western blotting analysis using a latex specific IgE -positive serum showed that two bands corresponding to Hev B1 and Hev B7 could be detected before the treatment of latex proteins with trypsin or papain(37 C, for 1 h), but not after the treatment. This findings strongly that enzyme treatment of latex might be useful to prepare low allergic latex products.