Even in the well sanitised clinics, hospitals, and doctor's offices, an innocent looking product is causing health concerns.

It is the latex gloves worn by those in the medical profession and its dangers are still being studied as latex allergy has become a significant and increasingly recognised phenomenon, with doctors, nurses and patients, too, at risk.

The American Academy of Allergy and Immunology, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the rubber industry have all voiced concerns about the rise in IgE-mediated latex allergy.

This type of allergy is considered very serious because it can cause life-threatening reactions during surgery and standard procedures such as barium enema administration.

"In regards to occupational allergies, a very prominent one that has arisen in recent years is latex allergy,'' explained Jutta Harvey, Nurse Manager at the Allergy Clinic of Bermuda.

"It's found mainly in medical personnel, perhaps people who have had lots of surgical procedures and people who work in the field of latex manufacturing.

"The reason this has been such a big deal in the last few years is, with the AIDS epidemic, it has become obligatory for all those in the medical profession to wear gloves whenever they do a procedure with a patient, whether they have AIDS or not.'' Added Mrs. Harvey: "The problem with latex gloves has become a big issue.

Latex is also found in many of the apparatus for medical procedures. In the hospital it (latex) is quite prevalent.'' Latex is not confined to the medical profession, however, as condoms, balloons and other plastics also fall into that category.

"The symptoms of latex allergy can be varied, they can include contact dermatitis in the area where the latex is in contact, where the skin can get irritated, itchy and a rash,'' explained Mrs. Harvey.

"It can cause asthma type problems and if the sensitivity is severe enough it can cause a more severe allergic reaction, even an anaphylatic type of reaction where a person collapses.'' Mrs. Harvey recalled a situation abroad where a doctor, allergic to latex, had to change his career because of health concerns.

"He found that he felt so much better outside the operation room, that it was endangering his health to continue working there,'' she explained. "Now he does administrative type of work.

"As with any allergy avoidance is the main treatment. Although changing a career may be drastic for some people, it may be necessary. There may be less severe actions that may be helpful, like wearing non-latex gloves in the operating room. We only wear vinyl gloves for testing at the Allergy Clinic.'' Mrs. Harvey noted that it was important for patients who are allergic to latex to inform the hospital and also their dentist as the latex can easily come into contact with the mucus membrane in the mouth.

"There's something about the structure of the latex chemical that makes it reactive,'' she revealed. "There is a protein found in it that is reactive with people who are sensitive to it.

"There are foods that are related to the latex family in that way, avocado, kiwi, banana and chestnut and so a person who has a latex allergy should also be careful of these foods that have a similar chemical structure. They call them cross reactants.'' Food allergy symptoms such as oral itching when eating crossreactive foods are recognised risk factors for latex allergy.

Mrs. Harvey points out that the latex gloves can produce an allergic reaction not just by contact.

"The gloves used to have a powder in them and as that glove was snapped off (the hands) the powder becomes airborne and can be inhaled,'' she disclosed.

"That powder has been known to transmit particles of latex. There is an effort being made in the latex glove industry to change the process so that latex allergy is not so much of an issue.'' According to a technical report on Latex Allergy by the Diagnostic Products Corporation, concerns about latex allergy increased greatly in 1988 when several deaths occurred during barium enema administration due to exposure to latex in enema cuffs. The enema cuffs were recalled.

The report also identified two high risk groups as health care workers and rubber industry workers, who are exposed for prolonged periods and to high doses of latex.

Latex allergy is now recognised as a potentially fatal condition for some patients who undergo procedures that expose them to latex.

The diagnosis and prevention of exposure is the most effective method of preventing life-threatening reactions.

HEALTH HTH