ABSTRACT
Natural rubber latex (NRL) allergy was clearly identified in 1979 in Europe (1) and in 1989 in North America (2,3), although adverse reactions to natural rubber materials had occasionally been described earlier (4). Over the past 15 years, NRL has been increasingly acknowledged as a major cause of IgE-mediated allergy in occupational and nonoccupational environments (5,6). NRL materials can cause a wide spectrum of immediate hypersensitivity reactions, ranging from mild urticaria to extensive angioedema and life-threatening anaphylaxis after cutaneous, mucosal, or visceral exposure. In addition, it has been shown that NRL proteins can bind onto glove powder and can then act as airborne allergens causing rhinitis and asthma (7).
