Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffIn a latex allergy, your immune system identifies latex as a harmful substance. Your immune system triggers certain cells to produce immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies to fight the latex component (the allergen). The next time you come in contact with latex, the IgE antibodies sense it and signal your immune system to release histamine and other chemicals into your bloodstream.
These chemicals cause a range of allergic signs and symptoms. Histamine is partly responsible for most allergic responses, including runny nose, itchy eyes, dry throat, rashes and hives, nausea, diarrhea, labored breathing, and even anaphylactic shock.
Latex sensitivity can occur in these ways:
- Direct contact. The most common cause of latex allergy is direct contact with latex, such as by wearing latex gloves or by contact with latex-containing products. Once you've had direct contact with latex, you may become sensitized. Sensitization is the process in which the immune system learns to recognize and attack allergens, causing an allergic reaction.
- Inhalation. You can develop a latex allergy by inhaling latex particles. Latex products, especially gloves, shed large amounts of latex particles, which can become airborne. Cornstarch is sometimes used on the inside of gloves to make them easier to put on and take off. The cornstarch absorbs latex proteins, but when the gloves are snapped during application or removal, the latex-laden particles fly into the air. The amount of airborne latex from gloves differs greatly depending on the brand of glove used.
Types of latex
Manufacturers produce two types of products from natural latex sources:
- Hardened rubber. This type of latex is found in products such as athletic shoes, tires and rubber balls. Hardened rubber doesn't cause allergies in most people.
- Dipped latex. Latex of this kind is found in some products that are "stretchy," such as rubber gloves, balloons, rubber bands and condoms. Most allergic reactions to latex occur with products made of dipped latex because they're often used directly against the skin.
Not all latex products are made from natural sources. Products containing man-made (synthetic) latex, such as latex paint, are unlikely to cause a reaction because they aren't used against the skin and don't contain the natural substance.
Latex-containing products
Thousands of consumer products contain latex or rubber, and many are found around the home. Common latex products include:
- Dishwashing gloves
- Carpeting
- Waistbands on clothing
- Balloons
- Rubber toys
- Hot water bottles
- Baby bottle nipples
- Disposable diapers
- Sanitary pads
- Rubber bands
- Erasers
- Condoms
- Diaphragms
- Swim goggles
- Racket handles
- Motorcycle and bicycle handgrips
Latex products are also found in health care settings. Latex is one of the most effective barriers available to prevent the spread of HIV and hepatitis B and C. As a result, there's been a marked increase in the use of latex gloves. However, because of the problem of latex allergy, many health care facilities use nonlatex gloves. Other medical products that may contain latex or rubber include:
- Blood pressure cuffs
- Stethoscopes
- Intravenous tubing
- Syringes
- Respirators
- Electrode pads
- Surgical masks
