Latex Allergy in Adults with Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Investigation

Latex allergy is a well-known complication of repeated exposure to natural rubber latex (NRL) products. The medical literature is replete with studies investigating the prevalence of NRL allergy in myelodysplastic children. However, the prevalence of NRL allergy in adults with spinal cord injury (SCI) has received little attention. Patients with a history of NRL exposure secondary to long-term indwelling urinary catheter usage were recruited as subjects. The presence of NRL allergy was established using the radioallergosorbent assay technique (RAST). Serum from 15 subjects who had been injured an average of 23.8 +/- 11.9 years and who had used an indwelling urinary catheter an average of 17.1 +/- 11.5 years was obtained. RAST for NRL was positive in 7 of the 15 (47%). Of note, serum obtained in a control group of 4 subjects who had been injured an average of 54.4 +/- 3.1 years and had no significant history of long-term indwelling urinary catheter usage were all RAST negative. This study suggests that adults with SCI and significant NRL exposure via long-term indwelling urinary catheter usage may be at risk for the development of NRL allergy.