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Longitudinal trends of total and allergen‐specific IgE throughout childhood
Author(s) -
Matricardi P. M.,
Bockelbrink A.,
Grüber C.,
Keil T.,
Hamelmann E.,
Wahn U.,
Lau S.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
allergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.363
H-Index - 173
eISSN - 1398-9995
pISSN - 0105-4538
DOI - 10.1111/j.1398-9995.2009.02055.x
Subject(s) - immunoglobulin e , immunology , medicine , allergen , longitudinal study , asthma , cohort , allergy , antibody , pathology
Background: The development and the quantitative relationship between allergen‐specific IgE (S‐IgE) responses and total IgE (T‐IgE), during childhood and adolescence have not been described and understood in detail. The objective of this study was to describe and compare the longitudinal trends of serum levels of S‐IgE and T‐IgE during childhood. Methods: We analysed data from participants in the MAS birth cohort study at 2, 5, 7 and 10 years of age ( n = 273) and at 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10 and 13 years ( n = 84). Total‐IgE and the overall level of specific‐IgE against nine locally relevant airborne and food allergens were determined by FEIA (ImmunoCAP). Allergic rhino‐conjunctivitis and asthma were ascertained by questionnaires. Results: Longitudinal patterns of T‐IgE levels from age 1 to 13 years were highly heterogeneous (declining, flat or increasing with different profiles). From 5 years of age, logarithmic (log 10 ) transformed values of T‐IgE and of S‐IgE levels tend to follow a parallel trend, so that their relation remained constant throughout school age. A flat trend of T‐IgE vs a constantly increasing trend of T‐IgE was associated with a low or, respectively, high rate of wheezing at 13 years of age. Conclusions: Beginning at the age of 5 years, total serum IgE levels in children from an industrialized country evolved in parallel with overall S‐IgE levels. Therefore, variations in T‐IgE levels at school age closely reflect variations in overall S‐IgE levels. Further studies are required to strengthen the biological and clinical implication of this novel finding.