Latex Allergy: What Is It?
It’s pretty self explanatory that Latex Allergy is an allergy to latex products and in particular natural rubber latex products. There are 2 types of Latex Allergies:
The first is called “Type I” and it is a potentially life threatening form of latex allergy. It is an immediate reaction to the constituents of the latex itself (proteins) and is generally acquired and worsens through repeated exposure to latex products. It is categorized by hives or asthma among other symptoms.
The second type is called “Type IV” and relates to people who have a somewhat delayed reaction to the chemicals used in the latex manufacturing process. This is a milder form of the allergy and tends to be categorized by red itchy skin, similar to dermatitis.
Symptoms of Latex Allergy
When you come into contact with latex, you could experience one or more of the following symptoms in a very short period of time:
- rash, itchy skin
- itchy eyes, nose
- coughing, sneezing
- asthma, breathing difficulties
- anaphylaxis and death in severe cases
Latex Allergy Symptom Treatment
- Avoidance of the latex allergen is the most effective treatment. Don’t even think about using “safe latex” stuff, if you have an allergy stay away from all things latex. Use “non-latex” alternatives (see below).
- Often, antihistamines or other allergy symptom suppressing medications are prescribed for those with severe latex allergies.
- Awareness of cross allergies, especially with certain foods (see below)
Living With Latex Allergies
Just watch the case study video below to get a feel for how hard it is to live with a Latex Allergy.
For Individuals:
These are the top 2 human desires affected by latex allergies:
Food: If you get a tingling in your mouth when you eat certain raw fruits and vegetables, you may have a cross reaction food allergy as a result of your latex allergy. Information online points to these foods as some that are related to this Latex Food Allergy or Latex Fruit Syndrome: banana, pineapple, avocado, chestnut, kiwi fruit, mango, passionfruit, strawberry, and soy. (Don’t go eating a bunch of this stuff to “test” whether or not you have an allergy – see your doctor for skin testing on a wide range of foods.)
I’ve looked far and wide but unfortunately I couldn’t find any raw fruits/vegetables that have no cross reaction with latex allergy. If anyone hears of a method that allows Latex Allergy Sufferers to enjoy these raw fruits please DM me @AllergyCentral on twitter or leave a comment below so we can spread the word. I’d imagine things like genetically modifying the foods by removing the allergens, or perhaps even desensitization methods (is this feasible?) would be on the cards.
Sex: If you or your partner finds that something is burning down there every time you get intimate, it is worth checking out the condoms you are using. Use latex free condoms like these which are polyurethane based. (If there is something burning down there and you are NOT using condoms, then you should get that checked out as well!)
For Employers:
Employers need to be aware of latex allergies as there have been some cases where payouts have been given to latex allergy suffers in the order of $100,000’s of dollars. This is particularly important in industries that require constant wearing of gloves e.g. for food preparation or other hygenic reasons, such as for nurses in hospitals.
Latex Allergy (Type I) Case Study: Marion Ronee Daney
Buy Marion’s thoroughly researched book here: Latex Allergy Is Not My Friend
As she suggested, it pays to wear a Fashion Alert Medical Jewelry T-14 Latex Allergy Tag so that the people treating you know that you have a Latex Allergy.
Latex Allergy Resources
http://www.latexallergyinfo.com/ is a fantastic site and is founded by a latex allergy sufferer. The aim of this site is to educate the world about latex allergies. They also have a list of latex free restaurants, as well as contaminated ones, in the United States. This website states that (thankfully) the states of Arizona, Oregon and Rhode Island have banned the use of latex gloves from their food services industries.
The Pacific Northwest Foundation has published some great books on Latex Allergies: Latex Allergy Resource Guide & The Complete Guide to Latex Allergy
The Latex Allergy Support Group has published a DIRECTORY OF NON-MEDICAL LATEX-FREE PRODUCT ALTERNATIVES which is very useful to identify which products contain latex and what alternatives there are for use. It is a pdf file you can save from this link.
Another good case study of Kay’s young son’s latex allergy here.
