If this is not your name, click here. Other Ophthalmic Surgery Organ Transplantation Orthopaedics Other Osteoarthritis Osteoporosis Otitis Otorhino. One in 10 health care workers frequently exposed to rubber surgical and examination gloves is on the cusp of developing allergy symptoms that could seriously affect both their health and their careers, according to a new study from Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Hamilton presents his group's results, funded by the National Institutes of Health, this weekend at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Hamilton said he is concerned that the potentially life-threatening consequences of this allergy are still very underappreciated.
Reactions can range from a localised skin rash or sneezing to respiratory distress or death.
By stopping exposure, we should be able to stop the sensitised but asymptomatic group from developing symptoms. Examination and surgical gloves are believed to be the main risk factors for health care workers, but other stretchable rubber objects, such as balloons or condoms, can cause a reaction. Rubber proteins from the gloves can be absorbed through direct skin contact. They also can attach to corn-starch donning powder inside the gloves and enter the body through inhalation when the gloves are pulled off and the powder becomes airborne. He also gave subjects a skin-prick test with a rubber extract and a blood test to see if IgE antibodies specific for rubber proteins were present.