ASTHMA

Raised cord serum immunoglobulin E increases the risk of allergic sensitisation at ages 4 and 10 and asthma at age 10

A Sadeghnejad¹, W Karmaus¹, S Davis¹, R J Kurukulaaratchy², S Matthews², S H Arshad³

¹ Department of Epidemiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
² The David Hide Asthma & Allergy Research Centre, St Mary’s Hospital, Isle of Wight, UK
³ Department of Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital of North Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, UK

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr W Karmaus
Department of Epidemiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA; karmaus{at}msu.edu

Background: Evidence suggests that a raised level of cord serum IgE (CS-IgE) is a risk factor for allergic sensitisation. However, whether CS-IgE is a risk for asthma is controversial. A study was undertaken to investigate the association between CS-IgE levels and allergic sensitisation at 4 and 10 years of age and asthma at ages 1–2, 4 and 10.

Methods: CS-IgE was available for 1358 of 1456 children born between 1989 and 1990. The cohort was evaluated for allergic diseases at ages 1, 2, 4 and 10 years. Skin prick tests for six allergens were performed on 981 children at age 4 and 1036 at age 10. Asthma was defined based on a physician’s diagnosis. Using logistic regression analysis, the risk of asthma and allergic sensitisation for raised levels of CS-IgE (0.5 kU/l) was estimated.

Results: At ages 4 and 10 years 20.2% and 27.0% of children, respectively, had allergic sensitisation. The risk of allergic sensitisation was significantly associated with raised CS-IgE levels at ages 4 (OR 2.29) and 10 years (OR 1.73). The prevalence of asthma was 10.3% at age 1–2, 15.2% at age 4, and 12.8% at age 10. CS-IgE was not associated with asthma at age 1–2 and 4 but showed an increased relative risk at age 10 (OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.05 to 2.62). The association was stronger in children who did not develop allergic sensitisation at age 4 or 10 (OR 3.35, 95% CI 1.41 to 7.93).

Conclusions: Raised cord serum IgE is a risk factor for allergic sensitisation at ages 4 and 10 years. This is the second study suggesting that CS-IgE is also a risk factor for asthma at age 10, probably related to the late onset of asthma. This association is not necessarily mediated by allergic sensitisation.

Abbreviations: CS-IgE, cord serum immunoglobulin E; SPT, skin prick test

Keywords: asthma; cord serum; immunoglobulin E; atopy; neonates; skin prick test

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Article

Airwaves

Wisia Wedzicha
Thorax 2004 59: 913. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Dietert, R. R, Piepenbrink, M. S (2008). The managed immune system: protecting the womb to delay the tomb. Hum Exp Toxicol 27: 129-134 [Abstract]  
• Pollard, I. (2005). Bioscience-bioethics and life factors affecting reproduction with special reference to the Indigenous Australian population. Reproduction 129: 391-402 [Abstract] [Full Text]