BACKGROUND: Latex hypersensitivity is associated with occupational allergy, contact urticaria, rhinitis, asthma, and anaphylaxis. However, standardized sensitive and specific latex extract for skin prick or serologic testing is not available in the United States. METHODS: We investigated the reliability of two latex extracts in 118 consecutive skin tests in patients with spina bifida, health care workers, and other patients with symptoms of latex allergy, and 10 control subjects. RESULTS: Forty-two of 86 patients with spina bifida, 11 of 15 health care workers with symptoms of latex allergy, 6 of 7 patients with symptoms of latex allergy, and 0 of 10 control subjects had demonstrable immediate wheal and flare responses to latex prick testing. In addition, 95 patients and 10 control subjects were tested concurrently for latex-specific IgE by ELISA. Of 55 patients with positive skin prick test results, 48 were reactive as determined by ELISA for IgE-specific latex antibody (sensitivity = 87%). Latex ELISA titers were significantly higher in patients with positive skin prick test results with a history of anaphylaxis to latex and in individuals without symptoms of latex allergy who had positive skin prick test results when compared with patients with negative skin prick test results. During the skin test procedure, nine patients had adverse reactions, including anaphylactic reactions in four. CONCLUSIONS: Skin prick and serum testing are reliable methods of diagnosing latex allergy. Serologic evaluation may be more desirable until allergen standardization is available.
BACKGROUND:Latexhypersensitivity is associated with occupational allergy, contact urticaria, rhinitis, asthma, and anaphylaxis. However, standardized sensitive and specific latex extract for skin prick or serologic testing is not available in the United States. METHODS: We investigated the reliability of two latex extracts in 118 consecutive skin tests in patients with spina bifida, health care workers, and other patients with symptoms of latexallergy, and 10 control subjects. RESULTS: Forty-two of 86 patients with spina bifida, 11 of 15 health care workers with symptoms of latexallergy, 6 of 7 patients with symptoms of latexallergy, and 0 of 10 control subjects had demonstrable immediate wheal and flare responses to latex prick testing. In addition, 95 patients and 10 control subjects were tested concurrently for latex-specific IgE by ELISA. Of 55 patients with positive skin prick test results, 48 were reactive as determined by ELISA for IgE-specific latex antibody (sensitivity = 87%). Latex ELISA titers were significantly higher in patients with positive skin prick test results with a history of anaphylaxis to latex and in individuals without symptoms of latexallergy who had positive skin prick test results when compared with patients with negative skin prick test results. During the skin test procedure, nine patients had adverse reactions, including anaphylactic reactions in four. CONCLUSIONS: Skin prick and serum testing are reliable methods of diagnosing latexallergy. Serologic evaluation may be more desirable until allergen standardization is available.
Authors: Marek L Kowalski; Ignacio Ansotegui; Werner Aberer; Mona Al-Ahmad; Mubeccel Akdis; Barbara K Ballmer-Weber; Kirsten Beyer; Miguel Blanca; Simon Brown; Chaweewan Bunnag; Arnaldo Capriles Hulett; Mariana Castells; Hiok Hee Chng; Frederic De Blay; Motohiro Ebisawa; Stanley Fineman; David B K Golden; Tari Haahtela; Michael Kaliner; Connie Katelaris; Bee Wah Lee; Joanna Makowska; Ulrich Muller; Joaquim Mullol; John Oppenheimer; Hae-Sim Park; James Parkerson; Giovanni Passalacqua; Ruby Pawankar; Harald Renz; Franziska Rueff; Mario Sanchez-Borges; Joaquin Sastre; Glenis Scadding; Scott Sicherer; Pongsakorn Tantilipikorn; James Tracy; Vera van Kempen; Barbara Bohle; G Walter Canonica; Luis Caraballo; Maximiliano Gomez; Komei Ito; Erika Jensen-Jarolim; Mark Larche; Giovanni Melioli; Lars K Poulsen; Rudolf Valenta; Torsten Zuberbier Journal: World Allergy Organ J Date: 2016-10-12 Impact factor: 4.084