Undesirable effects from latex gloves in hospital health‐care personnel

Abstract

AbstractThe high incidence of occupational hand dermatitis in hospital employees and the increased number of reports on cutaneous, mucosal and systemic reactions connected with a widespread USE: OF GLOVES induced us to investigate the prevalence of undesirable effects caused by latex gloves and the possible risk factors. We distributed a self‐administered questionnaire, elaborated by us. to 1030 Perugia Monteluce Hospital employees who usually used latex gloves at work. The questionnaire was returned by 922 (476 females and 446 males; mean age. 38.7 years). The subjects who reported atopy and/or undesirable glove reactions were interviewed and clinically examined. Of these, 128 (13.9%) had presented or still had glove problems and therefore were submitted to skin tests (patch and prick tests) and when negative, to use test. Our results showed that the large majority of skin complaints from gloves was caused by irritation rather than by allergy. Predisposing factors of irritant contact dermatitis (CD), which was present in 13.1% of the subjects investigated, were female sex. age under 31 years, cleaning activity mainly when carried out in the Held of internal medicine, and atopie constitution. The most common causative factors, investigated with two substitute latex gloves in 64 of the 120 patients affected by irritant CD, were cornstarch powder and perhaps latex proteins. Even if allergic skin disorders from latex gloves were rare in our unselected group (allergic CD: 0.5%‐, contact urticaria: 0.3%), more attention should be given to IgE‐mediated disorders since they may be a life threatening problem.