| >> Is latex allergy serious? |
For most people, most of the time, the answer is no, latex allergy is not serious - they will only have mild symptoms (see 'symptoms'). However, latex allergy must still be taken very seriously because a few people do suffer a serious reaction known as anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock, even to apparently harmless materials (2) (see 'symptoms'). Although anaphylaxis is a potentially life-threatening condition, there are ways of treating it and death as a result of latex allergy is extremely rare (see 'How can it be managed?'). There have only been three published cases in which latex allergy was proposed as the cause of a fatal reaction (1). There is no way of predicting who might have an anaphylactic reaction, so it is important that everyone with latex allergy is aware of the main potential dangers and is able to take necessary avoiding action. For more information about how to do this go to (see 'How can it be managed?') and (see 'What things contain latex?'). If you would like more information about anaphylaxis click here
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