Latex PPE-induced reactions during the COVID-19 pandemic: gender and previous allergies as distinctive predisposing factors among healthcare workers

Latex, an occupational allergen, is a protective natural rubber made from the sap of the Brazilian rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) that can induce adverse reactions in sensitized patients. The most frequent clinical manifestations are related to type I or type IV hypersensitivity, but there is also a clinical manifestation, known as protein contact dermatitis, which is a combination of immediatetype hypersensitivity (type I) and delayed-type hypersensitivity (type IV), characterized by chronic eczema with episodes of exacerbations. Type IV hypersensitivity to latex, which develops 24-48 hours after exposure, is characterized by clinical manifestations of contact dermatitis and can be systemic or localized at the contact site. These cutaneous reactions are frequently caused by accelerators and antioxidants (e.g. carbamates, thiurams) used during the manufacturing process of natural rubber latex (NRL)