Latex-induced occupational asthma: time trend in incidence and relationship with hospital glove policies.
Allergy
; 64(3): 415-20, 2009 Mar.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-19076543
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Natural rubber latex (NRL) has become as a major cause of occupational asthma (OA) in workers using NRL gloves. Few population-based studies have assessed the impact of changes in the patterns of glove usage on the incidence of NRL-induced OA.OBJECTIVE:
To characterize the time trends in incident cases of NRL-induced OA in Belgium and examine whether incidence rates were related to the types of gloves used in hospitals.METHODS:
Incident cases of NRL-induced OA were identified through a retrospective review of all claims submitted to the Workers' Compensation Board up to December 2004. Based on the results of diagnostic procedures, the diagnosis of NRL-induced OA was categorized as definite, probable, unlikely, or indeterminate. The patterns of glove usage were characterized through a questionnaire survey of Belgian hospitals.RESULTS:
A total of 298 claims for NRL-induced OA were identified, including 127 subjects with definite OA and 68 with probable OA. Categorized by the year of asthma onset, the incident cases of definite and probable NRL-induced OA markedly decreased from 1999 onwards. The use of powdered NRL gloves fell from 80.9% in 1989 to 17.9% in 2004. Powdered NRL gloves were predominantly substituted with NRL-free gloves, especially in the case of non-sterile procedures.CONCLUSION:
These national compensation-based data confirm that a persistent decline in the incidence of NRL-induced OA has occurred since late 1990s. This downward trend has temporally been associated with a decreasing usage of powdered NRL, further supporting a beneficial role of changes in glove policies.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Occupational Exposure
/
Latex Hypersensitivity
/
Gloves, Surgical
/
Occupational Diseases
Type of study:
Incidence_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
En
Journal:
Allergy
Year:
2009
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Belgium