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Latex allergy has become an epidemic among healthcare workers. Other individuals who are frequently exposed to latex gloves or products containing latex have experienced latex hypersensitivity, as well. Identification of patients who have latex allergy is crucial to physicians in order to formulate a management plan. This article includes discussion of the basic background on latex preparation, hypersensitivity, occupational risks, and management of affected patients.

Allergic rhinitis is a common disease with a lifetime prevalence of 20% among the United States population. The cost of medication alone to manage allergic rhinitis in the United States was estimated to be $3.1 billion. The two most commonly prescribed classes of medications are antihistamines and topical nasal steroids. The data on comparing the efficacy of a commonly used antihistamine (azelastine hydrochloride) with that of topical steroids, however, are conflicting. Therefore, the reported study was undertaken to determine the efficacy of azelastine with that of a topical nasal steroid (flunisolide) in treating patients for the symptoms of perennial allergic rhinitis. Forty-four subjects were enrolled in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study using Balaam's design. In one group, patients were treated with topical nasal corticosteroids or placebo. In the other group, patients were treated with the antihistamine nasal spray or placebo. Subjective data were collected by the use of questionnaires and a daily diary, which focused on nasal symptoms, sleep, and daytime sleepiness. The results demonstrated that the topical nasal corticosteroid performed superiorly to the antihistamine nasal spray in improving sleep, daytime sleepiness, sneezing, ocular and nasal pruritus, and nasal congestion. Thus, the topical nasal corticosteroid was found to be more effective than antihistamine nasal spray in reducing symptoms of allergic rhinitis. This study provides further support for the use of topical nasal corticosteroids as first-line treatment for perennial allergic rhinitis.

Systemic corticosteroids are known to cause adverse effects on bone loss and, with long-term use, may result in osteoporosis. There is evidence that inhaled corticosteroids at moderate to high doses may also induce bone loss. This article discusses the effects of inhaled corticosteroids on bone formation and resorption. It also offers preventive strategies to minimize bone loss associated with long-term use of inhaled corticosteroids.