Background:

The prevalence of latex allergy ranges from 0.8 to 6.5% and is the second cause of perioperative anaphylaxis. The main risk factors are being a health worker or latex producer, hours of latex gloves or products usage, exposure to other hand irritants, history of atopy, neural tube closure defects or numerous surgeries at early age.

Objective:

To determine the frequency of latex sensitization in resident physicians of the Hospital General de México surgical area.

Methods:

Prospective, cross-sectional, descriptive study where skin prick tests were applied to residents of the surgical area of the Hospital General de México, which depends on the Ministry of Health and is located in Mexico City.

Results:

Ninety-two subjects were included and had skin tests practiced, with 11 surgical specialties participating. Latex sensitization in this population was 11.9%, whereas the presence of latex allergy was 10.8%.

Conclusions:

A high frequency of latex sensitization and allergy was demonstrated in Hospital General de Mexico surgery residents, which indicates the need for policies and procedures to be developed for health workers with latex allergy, as well as continuous training of employees on latex allergy.

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