Reduction of latex aeroallergens and latex-specific IgE antibodies in sensitized workers after removal of powdered natural rubber latex gloves in a hospital☆,☆☆,★,★★
Section snippets
Study setting
The study period lasted from September 1996 to September 1997.
Participants
Ninety HCWs (26 men and 64 women; age range, 22 to 53 years [median, 32 years]) representing 43% of the staff (n = 211) working in 4 different wards (the pediatric and adult intensive care units and the departments of anesthesiology and surgery) participated in the study. There were no exclusion criteria; anyone who wanted to participate could do so. Each subject answered a questionnaire to determine a history of atopic symptoms and
RESULTS
Ninety of 211 eligible HCWs participated in the baseline examinations. Ten (11%) had NRL-specific IgE antibodies during the initial exam in September 1996. Seven of those 10 had a positive SPT response to NRL allergens and reported glove-related symptoms ranging from urticaria to asthmatic symptoms. No substantial differences were seen in SPT responses when comparing the 7 different NRL extracts (with the dilutions indicated above), and no systemic reactions occurred during SPTs in any of the
DISCUSSION
Several investigations demonstrate that powdered NRL gloves are the source of atmospheric NRL aeroallergen.4, 5, 11, 12 Heilman et al13 showed that switching to low-allergen gloves resulted in a significant reduction of NRL aeroallergen levels. In an investigation of the staff in our health care facilities, we found that respiratory symptoms and NRL-specific IgE antibodies were only present in employees who had worked in rooms with a detectable NRL allergen load.8, 9 These findings are in
Acknowledgements
We thank the staff of the St Franziskus Hospital in Münster for their patience and support while participating in this investigation. Dr Renate Kolling (St. Franziskus Hospital), Jörg Schmengler, and Paul Gurock (Berufsgenossenschaft für Gesundheitsdienst und Wohlfahrtspflege) made this study possible by giving administrative and logistic support at every stage of planning and completion of this study. We are extremely grateful for their help.
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From a Berufsgenossenschaftliches Forschungsinstitut für Arbeitsmedizin (BGFA) Institut an der Ruhr-Universität Bochum; b the Department of Dermatology, Universität Münster; and c Umweltlabor ACB, Münster.
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Supported by a grant from the Berufsgenossenschaft für Gesundheitsdienst und Wohlfahrtspflege, Germany.
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Reprint requests: Henning Allmers, Dr. med., Bürkle-de-la-Camp-Platz 1, D-44789 Bochum, Germany.
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