PMID- 14998756
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20040615
LR  - 20181113
IS  - 0091-6765 (Print)
IS  - 1552-9924 (Electronic)
IS  - 0091-6765 (Linking)
VI  - 112
IP  - 3
DP  - 2004 Mar
TI  - Latex allergy and occupational asthma in health care workers: adverse outcomes.
PG  - 378-81
AB  - The prevalence of natural rubber latex (NRL) allergy has been estimated to be 
      5-18% in health care workers, and latex exposure has been one of the leading 
      causes of occupational asthma in the last several years. We present the cases of 
      two nurses who developed sensitivity to NRL, both with dermatologic symptoms and 
      respiratory symptoms that included asthma. They were referred to the University 
      of Maryland for evaluation of their allergies, then for occupational and 
      environmental consults. The patients' allergy to NRL was confirmed on the basis 
      of clinical history, a positive skin test to latex, and the presence of 
      latex-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) serology by radioallergosorbent test 
      (RAST). Both patients worked in the same community hospital for approximately 20 
      years; one was an endoscopy nurse and the other worked in the emergency 
      department. Following the diagnosis of allergy to latex, both patients avoided 
      direct skin contact with latex, but they continued to work in the same respective 
      environments, where powdered latex gloves and other potentially sensitizing 
      chemicals were used. Instead of improving, the clinical condition of the patients 
      worsened and they remained symptomatic, even after they were removed from their 
      workplace. Their airways reacted to low levels of a variety of sensitizers and 
      irritants in the environment, and they became depressed. Both nurses were 
      referred for vocational rehabilitation.
FAU - Amr, Sania
AU  - Amr S
AD  - Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Division of Pediatric 
      Pulmonology/Allergy, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 660 West Redwood 
      Street, HH 109, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. samr@epi.umaryland.edu
FAU - Suk, William A
AU  - Suk WA
LA  - eng
PT  - Case Reports
PT  - Journal Article
PL  - United States
TA  - Environ Health Perspect
JT  - Environmental health perspectives
JID - 0330411
RN  - 37341-29-0 (Immunoglobulin E)
SB  - IM
MH  - Asthma/*etiology
MH  - Female
MH  - Humans
MH  - Immunoglobulin E/analysis
MH  - Latex Hypersensitivity/*complications/etiology
MH  - Middle Aged
MH  - *Nurses
MH  - *Occupational Exposure
MH  - Workplace
PMC - PMC1241870
EDAT- 2004/03/05 05:00
MHDA- 2004/06/16 05:00
PMCR- 2004/03/01
CRDT- 2004/03/05 05:00
PHST- 2004/03/05 05:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2004/06/16 05:00 [medline]
PHST- 2004/03/05 05:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2004/03/01 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - 10.1289/ehp.6612 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Environ Health Perspect. 2004 Mar;112(3):378-81. doi: 10.1289/ehp.6612.