40th anniversary of latex allergy and prospects for its overcoming in Russian healthcare

Abstract

The prevalence of latex allergy among representatives of the Russian medical community is estimated lower (1.9 – 3.8 %) than in the world as a whole (9.7 %), although the incidence of skin, respiratory and other symptoms after contact with latex gloves varies in the range from 18.8 to 35 %. Accurate assessment of differentiated reactions in mediators is hindered by the very rare reference of Russian researchers to the topic of latex allergy. Its prevention is not among the priorities of practical public health, as evidenced by the lack of professional pathology of the skin and upper respiratory tract pathways of latex genesis in the list of occupational diseases, as well as the low level of quality requirements for personal protective equipment for doctors when choosing and purchasing medical gloves. It justifies the need to introduce into practice a number of measures for the prevention and management of latex allergy among health workers: identifying risk groups, verifying diagnosis, providing recommendations on safety management, studying differentiated needs and searching for possible options to meet them.