Increased incidence of latex allergy in children with allergic diseases in Japan

The incidence of latex allergy is increasing in Japanese adults. However, the changing incidence of latex allergy in children with or without allergic diseases has not been reported in detail. After obtaining written informed consent from parents, Japanese children under 14 years of age were studied. In total, 776 non-atopic children, 802 children with allergic rhinitis (AR), 706 children with bronchial asthma (BA) and 844 children with atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome (AEDS) were asked about symptoms of latex allergy, and tested by serum latex-specific IgE, skin prick test to latex allergen and latex-glove-wearing test between 2001 and 2003. All the patients were outpatients at Ujitakeda Hospital, while the non-atopic children were children of the staff of Ujitakeda Hospital or Unitika Ltd. This was a retrospective study. The incidence of latex allergy in 2001/2002/2003 was 1.4/3.1/4.7% in non-atopic children, 3.1/5.1/9.1% in AR patients, 3.6/6.5/10.3% in BA patients and 6.1/11.3/15.9% in AEDS patients, respectively. Moreover, although no cases of anaphylactic shock were noted in allergic patients in 2001, two and eight cases were noted in 2002 and 2003, respectively. These results indicate that the incidence of latex allergy is increasing in paediatric patients with allergic diseases. A latex-reduced environment may be desirable in future.