Spina bifida, natural rubber latex

Latex. Allergy to natural rubber latex is the second most common cause of anaphylaxis during anesthesia in the general population. In children subjected to numerous operations, particularly those suffering from spina bifida, it is the primary cause of anaphylaxis [11]. The relative frequency of allergy to latex has rapidly increased, rising from 0.5% before 1980 to 20% in France in 2002. A low rate has been reported in countries where a strategy aimed to reduce latex exposure was implemented [6]. 

Allergy to natural rubber latex (NRL) is a well-recognised health problem, especially among health care workers and patients with spina bifida. In order to investigate the in vivo reactivity of latex in health care workers and patients with spina bifida, extracts of internal and external surfaces of latex gloves and specific extracts, enriched in major allergens for these risk groups, were examined. 

Alenius H, Palosuo T, Kelly K, Kurup V, Reunala T, Makinen-Kiljunen S, Turjanmaa K, Fink J (1993) IgE reactivity to 14-kD and 27-kD natural rubber proteins in latex-allergic children with spina bifida and other congenital anomalies. Int Arch Allergy Immunol 102 61-66... 

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