PMID- 10893014
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20001107
LR  - 20191104
IS  - 0905-6157 (Print)
IS  - 0905-6157 (Linking)
VI  - 11
IP  - 2
DP  - 2000 May
TI  - Ventricular shunts and the prevalence of sensitization and clinically relevant 
      allergy to latex in patients with spina bifida.
PG  - 111-5
AB  - Patients with spina bifida represent the highest-risk group for developing 
      hypersensitivity to latex. Recognized risk factors for these patients are 
      repeated surgery and an atopic disposition. Our aim was to study the influence of 
      a ventricular shunt as an independent risk factor. One hundred and sixty-one 
      patients with spina bifida (median age 10 years) were investigated for the 
      presence of a shunting device and the number, type and date of previous surgical 
      interventions. Additionally, skin-prick tests and provocation tests were 
      performed in order to classify sensitized and symptomatic latex-allergic 
      individuals. Eighty-eight patients (54.7%) were sensitized; 55 (34.2%) were 
      provocation-positive. Patients with a shunt system had undergone a significantly 
      higher number of surgical procedures (p < 0.0001) and showed significantly higher 
      levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE)-antibodies to latex (p < 0.0001) than patients 
      without a shunting device. The total number of operations correlated 
      significantly with the level of IgE-antibodies to latex in serum (p < 0.0001), 
      whereas the number of shunt operations in patients with a ventricular shunt did 
      not significantly correlate with the degree of sensitization. In conclusion, 
      patients with spina bifida who have a ventricular shunt are at particularly high 
      risk because they undergo a significantly higher number of operations than 
      patients without a ventricular shunt. However, the ventricular shunt does not 
      seem to be an independent risk factor. Furthermore, this study emphasizes that 
      individuals at high risk, such as patients with spina bifida, should be handled 
      latex-free from the very beginning of life.
FAU - Buck, D
AU  - Buck D
AD  - Department of Pediatric Pneumology and Immunology, Children's Hospital Charite of 
      Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.
FAU - Michael, T
AU  - Michael T
FAU - Wahn, U
AU  - Wahn U
FAU - Niggemann, B
AU  - Niggemann B
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PL  - England
TA  - Pediatr Allergy Immunol
JT  - Pediatric allergy and immunology : official publication of the European Society 
      of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
JID - 9106718
RN  - 0 (Latex)
RN  - 37341-29-0 (Immunoglobulin E)
SB  - IM
MH  - Adolescent
MH  - Adult
MH  - Child
MH  - Child, Preschool
MH  - Female
MH  - Humans
MH  - Immunoglobulin E/blood
MH  - Infant
MH  - Latex/adverse effects/immunology
MH  - Latex Hypersensitivity/diagnosis/epidemiology/*etiology
MH  - Male
MH  - Prevalence
MH  - Risk Factors
MH  - Skin Tests
MH  - Spinal Dysraphism/complications/*surgery
MH  - Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt/*adverse effects
EDAT- 2000/07/13 11:00
MHDA- 2001/02/28 10:01
CRDT- 2000/07/13 11:00
PHST- 2000/07/13 11:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2001/02/28 10:01 [medline]
PHST- 2000/07/13 11:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1034/j.1399-3038.2000.00039.x [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2000 May;11(2):111-5. doi: 
      10.1034/j.1399-3038.2000.00039.x.