Total Serum IgE Level in Relation to Some Risk Factors of Childhood Asthma

A. N. Abood, Haidar; R. I. Ghazal, Mohammad; M. Al-Musawi, Zuhair

	Total Serum IgE Level in Relation to Some Risk Factors of Childhood Asthma
karbala journal of pharmaceutical sciences
Article 1, Volume 4, Issue 6, 2013, Pages 78-84 PDF (0 K)
Authors
Haidar A. N. Abood; Mohammad R. I. Ghazal; Zuhair M. Al-Musawi
Abstract
Measurement of total serum IgE (TSIgE) levels in asthmatic children can be used for supporting the diagnosis of allergic asthma, predicting asthma severity and monitoring response to therapy. Elevated TSIgE level is important risk factor for persistent childhood asthma. The present study aims to determine the extent of elevation in TSIgE levels among asthmatic children and its association with some risk factors of childhood asthma. This cross sectional study was conducted in Kerbala Teaching Hospital for Children on 154 asthmatic children. An interview was conducted with patients (including their parents) through a questionnaire prepared for this purpose to report patient's information and clinical data. All patients were screened for the presence of elevated TSIgE by a qualitative method followed by quantitative measurement of TSIgE concentration. Absolute eosinophils count was also determined. Seventy five (48.7%) patients showed positive IgE screening test and 79 (51.3%) patients showed negative IgE screening test. 61.4% of asthmatic children in the age group 5-10 years and 55.5% of patients in the age group >10 years were IgE (+ve), while only 33.3% of patients in the age group <5 years were IgE (+ve). The mean TSIgE level was 874.97±1323.85 IU/ml for IgE (+ve) patients (56% had levels <500, 21.3% between 500-1000, and 22.7% >1000 IU/ml) and 38.19±19.23 IU/ml for IgE (-ve) patients. The ages of patients in the IgE (+ve) group were significantly higher (P<0.01) than those for patients in the IgE (-ve) group. No significant differences (P>0.05) were observed between patients in both groups regarding absolute eosinophils count, patient's weight, gender, positive personal history of atopic dermatitis and/or allergic rhinitis, positive family history of asthma and exposure to smoking . In conclusion, there is high association between age and TSIgE levels in asthmatic children, with elevated levels mostly seen in older children. No association present between elevation in TSIgE and other risk factors for childhood asthma like; male gender, positive family history of asthma, exposure to tobacco smoke and peripheral blood eosinophilia.
Keywords
Childhood asthma; Total serum IgE; Risk Factors

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