Parsteiner Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Contact Dermatitis’

There are different symptoms of having an allergy. Some can be mild, some can be very annoying, but some can be dangerous and even life threatening. Below is a list of some common allergy symptoms:

1. Skin rashes – annoying and itchy and sometimes painful. Depends where they are on the body, they can make someone to look quite ugly.
2. Breathing problems – when allergy causes problems with breathing and lack of oxygen, it is very serious and requires attention.
3. Itchy notes, mouth, throat and skin – this is one of the most common and annoying allergy symptoms – an itch that can’t be smoothed.
4. Conjunctivitis – burning and itchy eyes, is also a common allergy problem.
5. Coughing – another common allergy problem for many people – constant cough that sometimes is also painful.
6. Hives – hives can be painful and they can cause attention of others in public.
7. Headache – distracting headache that makes difficult to do anything constructive or relax.
8. Diarrhea – long time diarrhea can be also life threatening.

When you have an allergy the next step is to find out what causes it. You should talk to your doctor who will after checking the symptoms, know what to do. You should have a physical examination. The next step is usually tests which can find out precisely what causes the allergy. There are three kinds of tests:

1. The Skin Test – it is the least expensive and is very accurate. To do the skin test, a small amount of allergen is put on the skin and then the spot is pricked or scratched with a needle. A bit of allergen is also injected into the outer part of the skin. If there is an allergy to the tested product, after about 15-20 minutes after the test, there will be redness, swelling and itching on the skin

2. The Patch Test – it is done to find a contact dermatitis. A small amount of allergen is put into skin and then covered with a bandage. A doctor then checks the spot within forty-eight hours to see if a rash develops.

3. The Blood Test – this test is done when there are skin conditions or medications taken that might interfere with a skin test. In the blood test, the blood is taken to a laboratory and allergens are added to the blood sample. The amount of antibodies that are going to be made will be measured in this test.

The last decade has seen a rise in infections that are harmful to hospital workers worldwide. This has resulted in increased usage of medical gloves, with the main concern being health care worker protection, as well as a way to protect patient in a hospital setting. With increased usage of gloves many medical care workers started to experience problems using latex gloves. Prolonged usage and exposure to latex gloves led to an increase in allergic reactions to the gloves, such as dermatitis as well as latex allergies. These problems caused an increase in worker’s compensation claims, which then resulted in a need to find a better protective glove, that would still protect workers as well as their patients, and provide protection from skin problems. The medical profession soon turned to using nitrile gloves as an effective alternative to manage this problem.

Although not initially cost effective, with increased usage manufacturers have been able to lower the cost of these gloves, thereby making them an effective alternative that is not cost prohibitive. These gloves provide far superior level of protection from punctures as well as protection from chemicals. Testing was done by LabConsumer in order to assess the maneuverability and comfort of the gloves, as this would be an important factor, especially in hospital settings. One of the most important results to come from this study was that participants actually preferred the nitrile gloves to the latex gloves. Institutions now have a glove that is more effective than latex, prevents workers and patients alike from contact dermatitis, does not create hypersensitivity to latex and will provide relief from latex allergies.

In recent years, many in the automotive industry have also turned to using nitrile gloves as a way to protect their workers from harmful chemicals. Workers in this industry come in contact with many different harmful chemicals and the gloves provide excellent protection. They also help to prevent workers from burns and cuts that are commonplace in this industry. One of the most important protections workers receive in the automotive industry, is in the reduction of vibrations that can eventually lead to carpal tunnel syndrome. As a side benefit they will experience protection from toxic chemicals, solvents and cleaners. All of the above can lead to compensation claims, therefore owners in the automotive industry receive benefits by a reduction in workers claims for illness and injury. This results in them being a very cost effective method of protection for the long term.

People in the dental profession use gloves more than any other health care provider. It was found that due to prolonged use of latex gloves they suffered a higher incidence allergies as well as allergic skin reactions. Dentists and dental assistants now prefer to use nitrile gloves for protection, but also they are more resistant to punctures and tears than the old style latex gloves. The dexterity of these gloves were found to be just as good as latex, but provided superior protection for them as well as for their patients.

As more industries become concerned with protecting their workers, these gloves are now being used in many different industrial settings. Any industry where workers are exposed to caustic chemicals has now turned to using gloves that will provide maximum protection to their workers, thereby reducing claims for injuries. Police forces worldwide also use them to protect officers from being exposed to blood or other pathogens they come in contact with. The same also holds true for ambulance workers, who are exposed more often than police officers. The gloves have become so popular that even people who work in the garden are now using them for protection as well as providing a comfortable environment for their hands when working. nitrile gloves are now the protection of choice in many different areas. The more they become the standard and production rates rise, the cost savings will be passed on to the consumer.