부산대학교 도서관

BACKGROUND: Children with a shunted hydrocephalus are at highest risk for developing an immediate type allergy to latex. Limited data are available for preventive or therapeutical approaches. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of latex avoidance, with special regard to status of sensitization and compliance. METHODS: In 1995, 131 children with a shunted hydrocephalus were screened for sensitization to latex by skin prick test and determination of specific IgE. Patients and parents were instructed on latex-avoiding strategies. Hospital physicians, family doctors and dentists were advised to perform further surgical and other medical interventions under latex-free conditions.In 2000, 100 of these 131 patients were re-evaluated according to the same testing procedures. Special attention was directed at the extent prophylaxis had been performed. RESULTS: In 1995, 30/100 patients re-evaluable in 2000 proved sensitized to latex, 70 had negative testing results. In 2000, 64/70 patients were still negative, six had meanwhile developed latex-specific IgE. Seven out of thirty subjects with former positive testing had changes within the same RAST-class, 20 showed a decline of at least one RAST-class, whereas in three cases an increase of latex-specific IgE was found. However, only 34 patients, mainly those being already sensitized, had thoroughly followed both medical and private prophylaxis. Within this group, 16 subjects (47.1%) had improved and another nine (26.5%) were still negative. Only three (8.8%) already previously sensitized patients presented with a further increase of latex-specific IgE. Medical prevention contributed more to the outcome than home prevention. No statistically significant correlation with latex-avoidance was observed, however, in previously unsensitized subjects. Underlying disease, atopy, number of operations, and age did not prove as significant variables. CONCLUSION: Secondary prevention results in a decrease of specific IgE in latex-sensitized patients with hydrocephalus. This is due to medical more than home prophylaxis. Sensitization obviously occurs mainly in early childhood, thus primary prevention remains to be the main target.