[Italian and international guidelines on latex allergy: revision and comparison]

Latex allergy is an important medical issue, particularly for some occupationally exposed categories (healthcare personnel). The increase in the number of cases reported, occurred as a consequence of the diffusion of latex use, prompted several scientific and institutional organisms, both on a local and international level, to create guidelines for risk management in healthcare environment.

To review and compare, more than ten years after the first official guidelines, the directives on latex allergy currently used in different countries and in the Italian regions.

We used the references contained in the relevant literature and in the regulations concerning prevention of latex allergy.

Epidemiologic data, together with the recent decrease of the number of papers on latex allergy, suggest a relevant, but still unsatisfactory reduction of the problem.

In the light of a recent study performed by National Health Service (NHS) in UK, we point out the need for a critical evaluation of the real application of the existing guidelines, which are often formally present but left unattended in the daily hospital practice.