introduction: gloves protect the dental healthcare worker from direct contact with microorganisms in the patient's mouth and on dental setting surfaces; they also protect the patient from potential pathogens on the hands of the clinicians. this study was performed to evaluate the permeability of three types of examination latex gloves after treatment of patients in pediatric department of mashh...

BACKGROUND Blood-borne infection is an ever-present fear for medical professionals, especially surgeons and operating room personnel. Safety is paramount, and the reliability and efficacy of surgical gloves are crucial, as gloves are the most important barriers protecting hospital personnel and patients. Unfortunately, glove perforation rates are as high as 78% in high-risk procedures. As well ...

Immediate hypersensitivity reactions ranging from mild urticaria to life threatening anaphylaxis after exposure to natural rubber latex have been reported frequently in health care workers while occupational asthma due to latex exposure is less well studied. The results of specific challenge tests and immunological tests in four health care workers with work related respiratory and skin disorde...

Received for publication July 3, 2000, and accepted for publication August 15, 2000. Abbreviations: IgE, immunoglobulin E; NHANES III, Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. 1 Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ. 2 Environmental and Occupational Health Sc...

In sensitized subjects, provocation tests to latex may induce severe systemic reactions and even anaphylactic shock. It is probable that part of the risk is due to the difficulty in grading the stimulating dose and in starting from very low levels of exposure. To identify the aetiological agent of work-related asthma in four nurses with previous allergic contact urticaria to latex surgical glov...

This brief review of natural-rubber latex (NRL) allergy in health care workers (HCWs) includes the definition of NRL allergy and data on its epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnostic algorithm, management, long-term outcomes, economic impact, cost-effectiveness of changing facilities to a latex-free environment, and prevention. The data presented suggest that an individual with type I or type IV h...

Several fruits have been reported to crossreact with latex antigen in latex allergy patients but little is known regarding tropical fruits in particular. Here we report the case of a 34-year old nurse who developed anaphylaxis following the ingestion of dried jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus). The patient had a history of chronic eczema on both hands resulting from a regular wear of latex gl...

BACKGROUND Recent studies have shown that systemic or respiratory occupational responses to latex can be induced by inhalation of latex aeroallergens. OBJECTIVE Our objectives were to study the relationship between exposure to different latex aeroallergen levels and type I allergic reactions in subjects with occupational contact with latex and to assess a threshold value for latex airborne al...

BACKGROUND Exposure to latex gloves and glove powder makes health care workers (HCWs) particularly susceptible to developing an allergy to latex. AIMS To assess the impact on the quality of life (QOL) of HCWs who are allergic to latex products before removal from latex exposure and after removal from exposure. METHODS We studied 39 latex allergic HCWs from the Health & Safety Executive sout...