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

我们通过对富山县641名医护人员（包括580名护士和405名平均年龄为12.6岁的儿童）的问卷回答进行分析，研究乳胶过敏的实际状况。主要研究结果如下：1.通过对医护人员回答的分析，乳胶致敏组（LSG）占20.7%。特别是年轻护士和手术室护士被认为是LSG的高危人群。2名护士经血清学检查确诊为乳胶过敏。一半的healthacre设施尚未避免使用无粉乳胶手套。为了控制他们的症状，LSG中多达79%的反应者使用了被认为有助于乳胶过敏的乳液或加湿霜。通过对儿童回答的分析，有80名儿童（19.8%）为LSG。LSG的年龄小4.55岁，过敏性疾病的患病率明显高于其余325名儿童。LSG的大多数儿童都认为橡皮膏、橡胶手套和气球是与过敏相关的乳胶产品。为了控制他们的症状，他们避免使用致病的乳胶产品或咨询医生，但没有孩子接受乳胶过敏的诊断测试。用胶乳特异性IgE阳性血清进行的Western印迹分析表明，在用胰蛋白酶或木瓜蛋白酶处理胶乳蛋白之前（37 ℃，处理1小时），可以检测到对应于Hev B1和Hev B7的两条带，但在处理后不能检测到.这一发现有力地表明，酶处理胶乳可能有助于制备低过敏性胶乳产品。

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.