User:GhostRiver/latex

Signs and symptoms

 * Skin symptoms (contact urticaria)
 * Contact urticaria
 * Protein contact dermatitis
 * Allergic contact dermatitis
 * Respiratory symptoms (allergic rhinitis and asthma)
 * Rhinitis and conjunctivitis
 * Occupational asthma
 * Eosinophilic bronchitis
 * Systemic reactions
 * Anaphylaxis
 * Cardiovascular collapse, skin rashes, bronchospasm

Alternative latex exposure
Although most allergic reactions to latex occur in clinical settings, latex antibodies occur in equal rates between healthcare workers and the general population, and latex sensitization may occur in any environment.

Health conditions and surgeries
Frequent surgery due to chronic health conditions may lead to latex sensitization. Pediatric patients who undergo eight or more surgical interventions in their first year of life are significantly more likely to develop a latex allergy than those who do not, as are adults who receive more than 10 invasive procedures.

Mechanism

 * 14 allergens

Diagnosis
Latex allergy diagnosis begins by with a complete analysis of the patient's medical history.

While clinical history is a necessary first step, the high false positive rate makes it insufficient for diagnosis, and it must be supplemented with other examinations.


 * Medical history
 * Skin tests
 * Prick tests
 * Patch tests
 * Laboratory tests
 * Latex-specific IgE
 * Challenge tests
 * Glove use test
 * Rubbing test
 * Specific bronchial provocation test
 * Conjunctival provocation and nasal challenge

If clinical history, skin, and laboratory tests are contradictory, provocation tests may be used to confirm the presence or absence of a latex allergy.

Classification

 * Non-immunologic
 * Type IV immunologic
 * Type I immunologic

Cross-reactivity

 * Latex-fruit syndrome
 * Banana, avocado, chestnut, kiwifruit

Prevention

 * Latex regulations
 * General regulations
 * Labeling
 * Primary prevention
 * Secondary prevention
 * Health care workers
 * Patients in the health care setting
 * Outside of medicine

Latex avoidance

 * Patient education
 * Latex avoidance
 * Home environment
 * Institutional / workplace
 * School
 * Latex alternatives

Medical treatments

 * Symptomatic treatment
 * Immunotherapy

The discovery of omalizumab as a monoclonal antibody targeting IgE has led to its use in the treatment of atopic conditions, and it has proven effective at treating both asthma and chronic spontaneous urticaria. As a result, there has been some research into the effectiveness of omalizumab as a treatment for latex allergy. Limited studies have found that omalizumab reduces ocular and skin responses to latex allergens,  and it has been proposed that the drug be used in conjunction with immunotherapy to reduce adverse reactions.

Epidemiology

 * Incidence and prevalence
 * Age distribution and sex ratio
 * Other epidemiology
 * Occupations and other situations with frequent contact with latex
 * Medical conditions with an increased predisposition for latex sensitization

History
Human use of latex dates back to at least 1600 BCE, when Castilla elastica was harvested and mixed with Ipomoea alba to form the rubber balls used in the Mesoamerican ballgame.


 * https://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(02)00101-X/fulltext
 * https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1046202302000452