Latex Allergy

It's in everything from balloons and rubber bands to rubber gloves and disposable diapers. Latex products are everywhere, and while many of those products can help make our lives easier, the substance from which they are made can also cause a host of allergic reactions. (Read about "Allergies") Hives, rashes, asthma and shock are just a few of the allergic reactions to latex. (Read about "Hives" "Skin Rash" "Asthma" "Anaphylaxis")

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), latex comes from a milky fluid derived from the rubber tree. Several chemicals are added to this fluid in the making of commercial latex. The protein in latex rubber can cause an allergic reaction in some people. Unfortunately, the only way to treat latex allergy is to stay away from products made with the substance. There are some non-latex alternatives, as well as products made from a different type of latex, available in items such as gloves. But avoiding traditional latex products is challenging considering all of the items we use daily made of traditional rubber latex.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) gives the following examples of products that may contain latex:

• Medical equipment:
  • blood pressure cuffs
  • rubber gloves
  • stethoscopes
  • syringes
  • intravenous tubing
  • surgical masks
• Office supplies
  • rubber bands
  • erasers
• Household items
  • shoe soles
  • carpeting
  • swimming goggles
  • bicycle handgrips
  • pacifiers
  • baby bottle nipples
  • hot water bottles

According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), anyone can have latex allergy. In most cases however, ACAAI notes that people who have had repeated exposure to latex tend to develop the allergy. ACAAI lists the following known risk groups:

• people with a history of multiple surgeries
• children with spina bifida (Read about spina bifida in "Neural Tube Defects")
• individuals with a history of allergic reactions to foods known to cross-react with natural rubber latex
• healthcare workers and others who wear latex

Outside of these risk groups, ACAAI reports that an estimated 1 percent of the general population exhibits reactions to latex.

The amount of latex exposure needed to trigger an allergic reaction is not yet known, but according to NIOSH, exposure at even very low levels can prompt a reaction to sensitized individuals. Blowing up a balloon, wearing a latex glove or even inhaling latex particles from powdered gloves can trigger symptoms. Reactions can begin within minutes or hours of exposure. Symptoms range from mild to severe. Here are just a few, according to NIOSH:

• Mild reactions
  • redness of the skin
  • itching
  • hives
• Severe reactions
  • runny nose
  • sneezing
  • itchy eyes
  • trouble breathing, asthma
  • scratchy throat
• Life threatening reaction
  • anaphylaxis which is a potentially fatal reaction which includes drop in blood pressure, flushed skin, trouble breathing, swelling of throat, tongue and nose, loss of consciousness. (Read about "Anaphylaxis")

People who use latex may also develop skin problems that are not related to the use of latex. Those problems are sometimes mistaken as latex allergy. Contact dermatitis, according to ACAAI comes from frequent hand washing and drying, and skin abrasion from taking gloves on and off. (Read about "Eczema and Dermatitis") While these local skin problems may precede the development of latex allergy, ACAAI says they are not allergies and are not life threatening. (Read about "Skin") If you feel you may have latex allergy, AAFP recommends you talk to a healthcare provider with experience with latex allergy. Although there is no treatment for this allergy, the risk of a reaction can be reduced by avoiding contact with latex. For healthcare workers, non-latex gloves may be an option. There is also a type of latex that may be less likely to cause allergies. Even so, because latex is so common, people who are allergic to latex should also talk with their doctor about carrying injectable epinephrine. Epinephrine can help to counteract a severe allergic reaction. (Read about "Anaphylaxis")

Related Information:

    Respiratory System

    Occupational Respiratory Diseases