Related Experiment Videos
Natural rubber latex allergy in children: a follow-up study
L Ylitalo1, H Alenius, K Turjanmaa
1Department of Dermatology, Tampere University Hospital and Medical School of the University of Tampere, Finland.
Insights
Natural rubber latex (NRL) allergy in children can cause reactions even with home exposure. Continued vigilance is needed to protect allergic children from NRL products.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
- Immunology
- Dermatology
Background:
- Natural rubber latex (NRL) allergy is prevalent in children with spina bifida and those with multiple surgical histories.
- Atopic children without surgery can also develop NRL sensitization, but their outcomes are less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess home management of NRL-allergic children.
- To monitor changes in skin prick test (SPT) reactivity, latex RAST, and IgE antibody levels to NRL allergens over time.
Main Methods:
- Follow-up of 24 non-surgically treated and 8 multi-operated NRL-allergic children for a mean of 2.8 years.
- Clinical symptom recording and re-examination using SPT, latex RAST, and ELISA for IgE antibodies to specific NRL allergens (prohevein, hevein, REF).
Main Results:
- 79% of non-surgically treated children had home NRL product exposure, with 10 experiencing symptoms (urticaria to systemic reactions).
- Multi-operated children had asymptomatic NRL contact or uneventful latex-free surgeries.
- No significant changes in SPT reactivity, latex-RAST, or IgE levels to NRL allergens were observed in either group during follow-up.
Conclusions:
- Clinical symptoms occurred despite no decrease in allergic markers, highlighting the risk of home NRL exposure.
- Increased attention to protecting NRL-allergic children from environmental rubber contact is crucial.
Background:
Natural rubber latex (NRL) allergy occurs frequently in children with spina bifida and other children with disorders requiring multiple operations. Also atopic children who have not undergone surgery can be sensitized to NRL, but the outcome of these children has not been studied.
Objective:
To study how NRL-allergic children manage at home and whether their skin prick test (SPT) reactivity, latex RAST or IgE antibody levels to NRL allergens change during the follow-up.
Methods:
Twenty-four NRL-allergic children who had not undergone surgery and eight children with histories of multiple operations were followed up for a mean of 2.8 years. Clinical symptoms were recorded and all children were re-examined with SPT, latex RAST and ELISA for IgE antibodies to prohevein (Hev b 6.01), hevein (Hev b 6.02) and rubber elongation factor (REF, Hev b 1).
Results:
Nineteen of the 24 NRL-allergic children (79%) who had not undergone surgery had occasionally contacts to balloons and other NRL products at home, and 10 of them experienced symptoms ranging from contact urticaria to systemic reactions. Three of the eight NRL-allergic children with a history of multiple operations had contacts to rubber balloons without any symptoms, and five children underwent 1-8 uneventful operations in a latex-free environment. SPT reactivity to NRL allergens, latex-RAST or IgE antibody levels to prohevein or hevein did not change in either group of NRL-allergic children during the follow-up.
Conclusions:
Occurrence of clinical symptoms and no decrease in SPT reactivity or IgE levels to NRL allergens in the course of the present follow-up study imply that more attention should be paid to the protection of NRL-allergic children from rubber contacts in the home environment.