Latex Allergy

What Is It?

A latex allergy is a hypersensitivity to latex, a natural substance derived from the milky sap of the rubber tree. Like any type of allergy, latex allergies arise when the immune system, which normally guards the body against foreign invaders (such as bacteria, viruses, toxins), reacts to an otherwise harmless substance called an allergen. In the case of latex allergies, a person can have a reaction either to the chemical additives used in manufacturing latex products or to proteins in the latex itself. When the immune system detects the allergen, the antibody immunoglobulin E (IgE) is produced, triggering the release of chemicals within the body. One such chemical is the inflammatory agent called histamine. Histamine is partly responsible for the redness, itching and swelling that are part of an allergic reaction, and produce such symptoms as hives; rashes; a runny nose; watery, swollen eyes; and, more seriously, breathing difficulties and anaphylaxis.

Latex is a flexible, elastic and relatively inexpensive material that is used in the manufacture of a number of health-care and consumer products. Because it forms an effective barrier against infectious organisms, latex long has been used to make hospital and medical items, such as surgical and examination gloves and some parts of anesthetic tubing, ventilation bags, respiratory tubing and intravenous (IV) lines. In addition, it is used in making countless consumer products, including balloons, condoms, diaphragms, rubber gloves, tennis-shoe soles, nipples for baby bottles and pacifiers, toys, rubber hoses and tires. Seven million metric tons of latex are used in manufacturing each year.

There are two forms of latex allergies. The first involves an immunological reaction, not to the latex itself, but to the chemical additives used in the manufacturing process. This type of allergy usually is seen most often in people who wear latex gloves regularly as part of their work. The second type of reaction has been recognized only since the late 1970s, and involves a reaction to the plant proteins in the latex itself.

As the use of latex products increases, so does the incidence of latex allergies. With the AIDS epidemic and increased precautions, latex examination gloves are used routinely when handling body fluids. Today, anyone who might come into contact with a patient's body fluids wears protective gloves. As a result, health-care workers are at increased risk of developing a hypersensitivity to latex products.

In addition to health-care professionals and other workers whose occupations expose them to latex, people who undergo repeated surgical procedures are at a higher risk of developing latex allergies. For example, children born with spina bifida — a birth defect in which bones that normally cover the spinal cord do not form properly — are exposed repeatedly to latex products in connection with frequent medical and surgical procedures. About 50 percent of children with spina bifida develop a latex allergy.