Department of Pulmonology and Allergy, University of Limpopo, Limpopo, South Africa.
S Afr Med J. 2013 Mar 15;103(6):390-4. doi: 10.7196/samj.6011.
Latex allergy, caused by sensitisation in atopic individuals, is a common occupational disease among healthcare workers who use latex gloves. It may be present in non-atopic individuals as well. The main objective of this study was to document the prevalence and disease spectrum of latex allergy at Mankweng Hospital, Limpopo Province, South Africa. The secondary objective was to determine clinical presentation of the disease.
A cross-sectional descriptive study, with an analytical component, was conducted among healthcare workers who worked in high-risk areas for latex sensitisation. ImmunoCAP testing was performed and followed by a skin-prick test (SPT) in those who tested negative to the blood test.
Two hundred screening questionnaires were distributed to healthcare workers at the hospital. Of these 158 (79.0%) were returned, with 59 participants meeting the inclusion criteria (experiencing symptoms due to wearing latex gloves). The mean age of the participants was 39.6 years (standard deviation 9.8 years, range 20 - 60 years). There were more females (98.1%) than males (1.9%). Glove-related symptoms were present in 59 subjects (37.1%), in 7 (11.9%) of whom the ImmunoCAP was positive to latex (95% confidence interval 4.2 - 22.9%). Fourteen participants were lost to follow-up before the SPT was performed. Thirty-eight of the participants with negative ImmunoCAP tests underwent SPT. Positive SPTs were reported in 5 of these 38 workers (13.2%), indicating that the ImmunoCAP test missed 11.1% (5/45) of latex-allergic individuals. The prevalence of latex allergy in this study was 8.3% (12/144). A denominator of 144 was used, as there is a possibility that some of the 14 individuals lost to follow-up could have tested positive to latex sensitisation by SPT. The symptoms experienced by latex-sensitised workers were rhinitis (100.0%), asthma (50.0%), dermatitis (25.0%), severe anaphylaxis (8.3%), abdominal pain (8.3%) and angio-oedema (8.3%).
Our findings reveal that latex allergy is a problem at our hospital. The prevalence of 8.3% is comparable to findings in other South African centres. We recommend a latex-free protocol for high-risk areas and healthcare workers.
乳胶过敏是一种常见的职业性疾病，由过敏个体对乳胶的致敏引起，在使用乳胶手套的医护人员中较为常见。非过敏个体也可能出现乳胶过敏。本研究的主要目的是记录南非林波波省曼孔温医院乳胶过敏的流行率和疾病谱。次要目的是确定疾病的临床表现。
采用横断面描述性研究方法，其中包括分析部分，对处于乳胶致敏高危区域的医护人员进行研究。对免疫 CAP 检测结果为阴性的医护人员进行皮肤点刺试验（SPT）。
向医院的医护人员发放了 200 份筛查问卷，其中 158 份（79.0%）被收回，其中 59 名参与者符合纳入标准（因戴乳胶手套而出现症状）。参与者的平均年龄为 39.6 岁（标准差为 9.8 岁，范围为 20-60 岁）。女性（98.1%）多于男性（1.9%）。59 名受试者中（37.1%）存在手套相关症状，其中 7 名（11.9%）免疫 CAP 对乳胶呈阳性（95%置信区间为 4.2-22.9%）。在进行 SPT 之前，有 14 名参与者失访。38 名免疫 CAP 检测结果为阴性的参与者进行了 SPT。其中 5 名（13.2%）报告 SPT 阳性，这表明免疫 CAP 检测漏诊了 11.1%（5/45）的乳胶过敏个体。本研究中乳胶过敏的患病率为 8.3%（12/144）。使用 144 作为分母，是因为失访的 14 名个体中，有可能通过 SPT 对乳胶致敏呈阳性。乳胶致敏的工人出现的症状包括鼻炎（100.0%）、哮喘（50.0%）、皮炎（25.0%）、严重过敏反应（8.3%）、腹痛（8.3%）和血管性水肿（8.3%）。
我们的研究结果表明，乳胶过敏是我们医院的一个问题。8.3%的患病率与南非其他中心的发现相似。我们建议对高危区域和医护人员实施无乳胶方案。
