[Latex allergy diagnosed at a department of dermatology. A descriptive analysis of a 3-year material].

This study gives a descriptive analysis of 52 patients with type-I allergy to latex. Seventy-one percent of these cases were considered occupational, especially related to the health care sector (29 of 37 patients). Four patients had to change their jobs because of the allergy. Twenty-five percent presented initially with monosymptomatic contact urticaria, while 35% presented with hand eczema, which could only be explained by concomitant allergy to rubber chemicals in 35% of the cases. During the period from observation of initial symptoms until establishment of the diagnosis, several of the patients with monosymptomatic hand eczema developed additional type-I related symptoms. Not only latex-exposed patients with type-I-related symptoms, but also latex-exposed patients with hand eczema should be suspected for latex-allergy and tested with pricktests, latex-specific IgE and skin-provocation tests.