2017 Volume 11 Issue 1 Pages 39-44
Before undergoing operations, patients at our hospital are routinely asked whether they have experienced symptoms suggestive of latex allergy, and are further investigated if they answered positively to any of the questions. We reviewed latex allergy test results from our hospital between 2008 and 2014. Both prick and wear tests were used, and some patients underwent measurement of specific IgE antibodies against latex. The total number of patients was 91 (17 males and 74 females) , 53 were suspected of having latex allergy due to experiencing allergy symptoms after using rubber products, 43 experienced allergy symptoms after eating fruit, 5 had a history of treatment due to congenital diseases, such as spina bifida, 9 worked in medical facilities, and no patient had a history of anaphylactic shock of unknown cause. The prick test was positive in 6 cases, and the wear test was positive in 5 cases ; in total, 9 cases were diagnosed with latex allergy. In the cases with latex allergy, specific IgE antibody levels against latex were class 2 in 4 cases, but not examined in the other 5 cases. History-taking prior to operation is thought to be useful because there had been no accidents related to latex allergy.
