Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., Vol 151, No. 3, Mar 1995, 887-891.
Latex gloves with a lower protein content reduce bronchial reactions in subjects with occupational asthma caused by latex
O Vandenplas, JP Delwiche, S Depelchin, Y Sibille, R Vande Weyer and L Delaunois
Department of Chest Medicine, Mont-Godinne Hospital, Catholic University of Louvain, Yvoir, Belgium.
Latex gloves have been documented as causing rhinitis and asthma. Using
inhalation challenges, we evaluated the bronchial response to
hypoallergenic gloves in eight health care workers with latex-induced
asthma. The subjects were exposed to the powdered latex gloves causing
asthma at work and various brands of gloves with a lower protein content,
either low-powdered, nonpowdered, or powdered. Exposure to hypoallergenic
gloves resulted in the absence (in six subjects) or a significant reduction
(in two subjects) of bronchial response. The effects of repeated exposure
to hypoallergenic gloves was assessed in two subjects who did not
demonstrate changes in peak expiratory flow rates and nonspecific bronchial
responsiveness to histamine. This study on a limited number of patients
suggests that the use of hypoallergenic gloves could be an effective means
of reducing the risk of asthmatic reactions in health care workers with
latex-induced asthma when complete avoidance cannot be achieved. The
long-term effect of exposure as well as the widespread use of
hypoallergenic gloves warrant further investigation on larger cohorts of
subjects.
