Case Report

Severe Allergy in a Pregnant Woman after Vaginal Examination with a Latex
Glove

Yuri Shingai, Koji Nakagawa, Takeshi Kato, Toru Fujioka, Takashi
Matsumoto, Toshimasa Kihana, Kiyofumi Noda, Takashi Mori
Feto-Maternal Division, Perinatal Center, and Ehime Prefectural Central
Hospital, Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan
Address of Corresponding Author
Gynecologic and Obstetric Investigation 2002;54:183-184 (DOI:
10.1159/000067888)

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  Key Words
*    Contact urticaria syndrome
*    Health care
*    Latex allergy
*    Latex-fruit syndrome
*    Latex gloves
*    Vaginal examination
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 Abstract

Recently case reports about latex allergy were increased. We have
experienced severe latex allergy in a pregnant women after vaginal
examination with a latex glove. A 33-year-old woman, 38 weeks pregenant,
was hospitalized for management of fetal IUGR. She underwent a vaginal
examination with a latex glove and soon developed severe anaphylactic
reactions.

Although two hours later her condition had remarkably improved, regular
uterine contractions appeared, and fetal cardiotocogram showed late
decelerations. So emergency cesarean section was performed under the
situation without using any latex products. She delivered a male infant
weighing 2,227 g (-2.21 SD) at 38 weeks gestation. His Apgar score was 5
points at 1 min and 8 points at 5 min. The latex-specific IgE of this
patient was high and IgE for banana, avocado and kiwi were also positive.

These foods showed cross-reactions with latex, but she had no history of
allergic reactions against these foods. She had a history of atopic
reactions and of atopic dermatitis while working as a nurse at the ICU. It
is thought that this patient was in the high-risk group.
Copyright © 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel

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  Author Contacts
Yuri Shingai, MD
Feto-Maternal Division, Perinatal Center
Ehime Prefectural Central Hospital
83 Kasuga-cho, Matsuyama, 790-0024 Ehime (Japan)
Tel. +81 89 947 1111, Fax +81 89 943 4136, E-Mail
c-shingai@eph.pref.ehime.jp
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  Article Information
Received: March 18, 2002
Accepted after revision: September 30, 2002
Number of Figures : 0, Number of Tables : 1, Number of References : 7