Latex Allergy: Where Are We Now and How Did We Get There?

Abstract

Latex allergy emerged as an epidemic of anaphylaxis, occupational asthma, and clinical dilemmas in the 1980s. A systematic recognition, investigation, discovery, epidemiology, and prevention strategy followed. International attention and collaborations of investigators, government agencies, manufacturing, and health policy resulted in near elimination of a global epidemic. This article summarizes nearly 4 decades of work in control of this epidemic and focuses attention on future problems that still require resolution.

Keywords: Anaphylaxis; Health care workers; Hevea brasiliensis; Latex gloves; Natural rubber latex; Occupational asthma; Serologic testing; Skin testing; Spina bifida.