Question:
Condoms and allergies ?
Answer:
The study was conducted to assess the prevalence of sensitization
to latex in a group of women with a high risk for atopy and to
determine whether the use of condoms is a relevant risk factor. In a
prospective study, 100 atopic women (defined as having specific IgE to
common aero- or nutritional allergens) were screened for specific IgE
antibodies to latex after delivery: Ten of the 100 women (10%) showed
specific IgE to latex. Total IgE concentrations were higher with a
history of occupational exposure or of symptoms after contact with
latex (p < 0.05, and p < 0.005, respectively), but condom users were
not significantly more frequent in the latex-positive group. Our
results indicate that prior use of condoms does not appear to be a
specific risk factor for sensitization to latex in post-partum women
at high-risk for atopy. Latex-free condoms should only be recommended
to women already known to be sensitized to latex. Copyright 2002
Elsevier Science Inc.
Natural rubber latex (NRL) has emerged over the last decade as an
increasingly common trigger for anaphylaxis-producing allergies. It is
found in a wide range of manufactured goods, including an estimated 40,000
common household items. Latex allergies now affect an estimated 1% to 6%
of the U.S. population and the reasons for the increase in incidence can
be attributed to biohazard precautions and manufacturing changes.1-3
Latex allergy is an allergic sensitivity to the proteins in NRL that often
worsens with each exposure, a phenomenon known as allergic sensitization.
Allergic reactions to latex can range from moderate skin irritations to
life-threatening anaphylaxis.
You may be interested in learning more about latex allergies including
information on variations in severity, who is at risk, and prevention and
treatment.
Reasons for Increased Incidence
Prior to the 1980s, reactions to latex were virtually unknown in the
United States. Now, recent estimates put the incidence of latex
sensitivity or allergy among the general U.S. population at between 1% and
6%, or up to 16 million people.1-3
Reasons for the increase in latex allergy incidence include:
* Biohazard precautions
* Manufacturing changes
Biohazard precautions
It is commonly acknowledged that the sudden, large-scale increase in latex
glove use by health care workers since the 1980s lies at the heart of the
growing problem of latex allergy. As health care workers sought to protect
themselves from AIDS and other blood-borne diseases, latex glove use
became virtually universal in hospitals and other medical and dental
facilities. Patients, and especially health care workers, were exposed to
more latex than ever before and many have become sensitized to it.
Manufacturing changes
To keep up with increased demand, manufacturers sped up their processes
and resorted to lower quality latex, both of which have resulted in latex
products with higher levels of the protein that can trigger allergic
reactions.
Under normal conditions it's a moist *lubricated* internal surface.
An abrasion would make that surface more vulnerable to allergic
sensitization, but that surface has evolved for tens of millions of
years to protect itself from abrasions.
