Latex gloves are widely used in various industries such as health, manufacturing, food and beverages, etc. It is a fairly common component found in many medical and dental supplies. The health industry, in particular, uses many variants of latex gloves including powdered latex gloves for examinations and surgeries. Depending on the case, one can choose to wear the glove that suits the situation best. Powdered latex gloves have corn starch added to them for easier donning. There are cases when either the corn starch or the latex glove itself can cause some sort of allergy when coming in contact with the skin. Our body assumes the latex protein as a toxic agent. Following is the list of those most susceptible to it:
These allergic reactions are caused by the immune system reacting to the latex antigens on the surface of the gloves. The immune system identifies it as a toxic agent and produces antibodies to counter it which in turn releases histamine and other chemicals into the body to combat it which results in the allergy. Some of the symptoms include itchiness, redness of the skin, sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, and sore throat among others.
