Atopic status and latex sensitization in a cohort of 1,628 students of health care faculties

Background Atopic diseases have increased since the second half of the previous century. Atopic workers are at higher risk to be sensitized to latex, and the first years of exposure are supposed to be especially risky. Objective To assess atopic status and rate of latex sensitization in health care students starting their exposure to latex gloves. Methods We analyzed medical surveillance data from 1,628 health care students from 2010 to 2016. Students completed a questionnaire focused on their previous and current latex exposure and personal and family histories of allergic diseases; underwent skin prick testing with common allergens and latex extract (and/or total and latex-specific immunoglobulin E in serum); and underwent a medical examination. Results Skin prick test results for common inhalant allergens showed that 807 of 1,628 students (49.6%) had atopy. Atopy by skin prick testing was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1.49, 95% confidence interval 1.18–1.86), a personal history of oculorhinitis or asthma (odds ratio 10.22, 95% confidence interval 7.4–14.13), and atopic eczema (odds ratio 1.87, 95% confidence interval 1.05–3.36) at multivariate regression analysis. Eleven students (0.7% of total population) were found to be sensitized to latex and all had atopy. Conclusion Despite the high prevalence of atopy in health care students of Trieste, the latex sensitization rate is very low and comparable to general population. This is reasonably due to the low exposure to latex gloves at the time of the evaluation and to low latex release from the gloves currently used in our hospital.