515 Prevalence of Latex Sensitization Between Medicine and Dentistry Students from Nuevo Leon University

BACKGROUND: Latex allergy has become an important health problem in the last 2 decades. Sensitization in general population is about 1%.(1) Healthcare workers have a frequency of 2% to 25%.(2) There is not information about this issue in Mexico. Our objective was to know and compare prevalence of latex sensitization in last grade medicine and dentistry students of the Nuevo Leon University. METHODS: This was an observational, prospective and comparative study. Last grade medicine and dentistry students were invited to participate. Spanish version of the Latex Allergy Questionnaire (ACAAI recommended) and skin tests for latex: prick test (SPT) (latex extract Allerstand 1:20 w/v), prick by prick (PBPT) (latex gloves) were performed in every patient. Positive control was histamine 10 mg/mL and glycerinated solution for negative control (allerstand) using duotip test disponsable. SPT and PBPT were read 15 min after application and positive result were interpreted as a wheal diameter of 3 mm more than negative control. Data were analyzed for demographics with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS v16.0), for comparison between groups of sensitized patients fisher exact test was performed. RESULTS: Study included 378 patients, 213 (56.3%) dentistry students and 165 (43.7%) medicine students. Male/female ratio was 1.2/1 for medicine and 0.36/1 for dentistry. Average age was 23 years in both groups. General sensitization to latex was 7.1% (27), per group medicine was 6% (10) and dentistry 7.9% (17). Almost to all commercial extract, only one patient in each group was positive to gloves PBPT. By questionnaire 10.9% medicine group and 17.3% of dentistry group report symptoms with latex, but only 14.8% of dentistry group was Skin test positive, no one in medicine group. Rhinitis or conjunctivitis symptoms were found in 48.1% of sensitized patients. Most frequent foods associated with symptoms were pineapple (2.6%), fig (2.1%), avocado (1.9%) and kiwifruit (1.6%). There was no statistical difference between both groups sensitization (P = 0.549). CONCLUSIONS: Latex sensitization was more common in healthcare students than references in general population but symptoms referred to latex no always are demonstrated by IgE sensitization, so delayed mechanism must be take in to account to get a better diagnosis and treatment approach.