Latex allergy

What it is

Latex allergy is a reaction to proteins in natural rubber latex, which is made from the milky sap of the rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis.³ The tree grows in Africa and Southeast Asia.¹ In latex allergy, the immune system makes IgE antibodies that react with the latex proteins, and those antibodies trigger the release of chemicals that cause the symptoms.² Most cases develop after many earlier exposures.¹

Some synthetic rubbers are also called “latex,” but they do not release the proteins that cause these reactions.³

Latex allergy was uncommon until the late 1980s, when more health care workers began wearing powdered latex gloves to control infections. After manufacturers made synthetic and powder-free gloves in the 1990s, new cases fell.² In a 1997 alert, NIOSH estimated that about 8% to 12% of regularly exposed health care workers and about 1% to 6% of the general population were sensitized to latex, meaning they had a positive skin or blood test, with or without symptoms.⁴

Some people with latex allergy also react to certain foods. ACAAI lists apple, avocado, banana, carrot, celery, chestnut, kiwi, melons, papaya, raw potato and tomato as the foods most likely to cause this problem.¹

Symptoms it causes

Latex products can cause three kinds of reaction, and only one is an immediate allergy to latex proteins.⁴

• Irritant contact dermatitis is the most common. It causes dry, itchy, irritated skin, usually on the hands, from wearing gloves and from glove powder. It is not a true allergy.³
• Allergic contact dermatitis is a delayed reaction to chemicals added during manufacturing. It causes a rash like poison ivy, often 24 to 48 hours after contact.⁴
• Latex allergy is an immediate reaction. Symptoms usually start within minutes of exposure, though they can appear hours later.³ They can include hives, itching or flushing, swelling, sneezing, a runny nose, cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, nausea and dizziness.²

The most severe reaction is anaphylaxis, which involves serious trouble breathing, a drop in blood pressure (shock), or both.¹ The greatest danger of a severe reaction comes when latex touches moist areas of the body, such as during surgery.² Breathing in latex proteins carried in the air by glove powder can set off anaphylaxis and severe asthma, even without direct contact.¹

Where it’s found

Natural rubber latex is in many medical, household and personal products.¹ In health care, it can be in disposable gloves, catheters, IV and airway tubing, syringes, tourniquets, dental dams, stethoscopes, dressings and bandages.¹⁴ NIOSH’s 1997 alert adds anesthesia masks, electrode pads, wound drains and blood pressure cuffs.⁴ Many hospitals and doctors’ offices have switched to non-latex gloves or low-protein latex gloves, according to ACAAI.¹

In daily life, latex can be in balloons, rubber bands, erasers, condoms and diaphragms, dishwashing gloves, elastic in clothing, shoe soles, athletic shoes, rubber toys, baby bottle nipples, pacifiers, carpeting and tires.¹⁴ MedlinePlus lists gloves, condoms, balloons, rubber bands, shoe soles and pacifiers as common latex products and says latex-free versions of them can be found.⁵

The people most exposed are health care workers and others who wear latex gloves often, rubber industry workers, and people who have had many surgeries, such as children with spina bifida.¹ A 1991 CDC report noted that patients with spina bifida and defects of the urinary and genital tract undergo multiple surgeries and often need regular bladder catheterization, which may raise their risk of becoming sensitized to latex.⁶ NIOSH also names workers who wear gloves less often, including police, ambulance staff, funeral-home workers, firefighters, painters, gardeners, food service workers and housekeepers, as well as people who work in factories that make latex products.⁴