Potter P C, Crombie I, Marian A, Kosheva O, Maqula B, Schinkel M
Allergology Unit, Department of Immunology, Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town.
S Afr Med J. 2001 Sep;91(9):760-5.
The incidence of latex allergy is increasing worldwide but there is very little information available on the clinical outcome for affected individuals.
To determine the prevalence of latex allergy at Groote Schuur Hospital, a large teaching hospital in Cape Town, and to study the outcome for affected individuals.
Using a questionnaire, we screened 2,316 hospital workers for the presence of work-related symptoms. Workers who were symptomatic had Immunocap RAST (CAP RAST) or skin-prick tests to confirm latex sensitivity. Latex-avoidance measures were implemented in positive subjects. One hundred symptomatic, sensitised individuals were followed up 3 months after intervention to assess their clinical status. A further cohort of 25 individuals with ongoing nasal symptoms were studied in detail.
Latex sensitisation was confirmed in 182 of 717 symptomatic workers (25.3%). Sensitised symptomatic workers were significantly more likely to have had a previous history of urticaria (P = < 0.001), oral allergy syndrome (P = < 0.001), or allergic conjunctivitis (P = 0.001), but not hay fever, perennial rhinitis, eczema or insect allergies. Latex sensitisation occurred among all classes of health care workers. Ocular and cutaneous symptoms were significantly associated with positive latex sensitisation (P = < 0.001). After latex intervention, ocular symptoms (P = < 0.001), skin rashes (P = < 0.001) and wheezing (P = 0.001) reduced significantly. Nasal symptoms did not improve. Undiagnosed and untreated underlying allergies to common aero-allergens were present in the majority of latex-sensitised patients with ongoing nasal symptomatology.
The prevalence of symptomatic sensitisation to latex allergy at Groote Schuur Hospital is between 9.2 and 11.2%. Ocular and cutaneous symptoms are the most prevalent in sensitised workers, and unlike nasal symptoms are significantly reduced when latex-avoidance measures are introduced. Ongoing nasal symptoms after intervention is instituted are probably due to other allergic sensitivities in latex-sensitised health care workers.
全球范围内乳胶过敏的发病率正在上升，但关于受影响个体的临床结局的信息却非常少。
确定开普敦一家大型教学医院——格罗特·舒尔医院乳胶过敏的患病率，并研究受影响个体的结局。
我们使用问卷对2316名医院工作人员进行筛查，以了解是否存在与工作相关的症状。有症状的工作人员接受免疫捕获变应原吸附试验（CAP RAST）或皮肤点刺试验，以确认乳胶敏感性。对检测呈阳性的受试者采取避免接触乳胶的措施。对100名有症状的致敏个体在干预3个月后进行随访，以评估他们的临床状况。另外对25名有持续性鼻部症状的个体进行了详细研究。
717名有症状的工作人员中有182人（25.3%）被确诊为乳胶致敏。致敏的有症状工作人员更有可能有荨麻疹病史（P = <0.001）、口腔过敏综合征（P = <0.001）或过敏性结膜炎（P = 0.001），但没有花粉症、常年性鼻炎、湿疹或昆虫过敏。各类医护人员中均出现了乳胶致敏。眼部和皮肤症状与乳胶致敏呈显著相关（P = <0.001）。采取避免接触乳胶的措施后，眼部症状（P = <0.001）、皮疹（P = <0.001）和喘息（P = 0.001）显著减轻。鼻部症状没有改善。大多数有持续性鼻部症状的乳胶致敏患者存在未被诊断和治疗的对常见气传变应原的潜在过敏。
格罗特·舒尔医院有症状的乳胶过敏致敏患病率在9.2%至11.2%之间。眼部和皮肤症状在致敏工作人员中最为常见，与鼻部症状不同的是，采取避免接触乳胶的措施后这些症状会显著减轻。采取干预措施后仍存在持续性鼻部症状可能是由于乳胶致敏的医护人员存在其他过敏敏感性。
