Allergy to latex surgical gloves: an unfamiliar cause of intraoperative anaphylaxis.

Natural rubber products, including surgical gloves, are known to be associated with contact dermatitis in allergic individuals. These cell-mediated immune reactions are usually not serious. However, an increasing number of reports have appeared recently in the medical literature concerning the association of latex with type I IgE-mediated anaphylactic reactions. We report on a patient with a history of cutaneous sensitivity to latex who experienced an intraoperative anaphylactic reaction felt to be secondary to latex surgical gloves. This report is intended to familiarize clinicians with this unexpected cause of intraoperative anaphylaxis.