Low prevalence of clinical latex allergy in UK health care workers: a cross-sectional study.
The prevalence of natural rubber latex allergy amongst health care workers has been reported to vary between 1 and 40%. This is because different diagnostic criteria have been used on heterogeneous groups of subjects. We have undertaken a cross-sectional study of all 5600 employees in two National Health Service trusts served by one department of occupational health and one department of clinical immunology. The period prevalence (1999-2000) for Type I clinical latex allergy in the clinical health care workers was found to be 17/3500 (0.5%). Difficulties in diagnosis and factors which may have contributed to this low prevalence rate are discussed. No cases were forced to leave health care work as a consequence of their allergy.
Poole
C J
CJ
Department of Occupational Health, Health Centre, Cross Street, Dudley DY1 1RN, UK.
Nagendran
V
V
D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D020315:Latex Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012882:Skin Tests / Q000379:methods; D013222:State Medicine; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology
D007073:Immunoglobulin E