Relationship between extremely low total serum IgE levels and rhinosinusitis

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Allergy and Immunology
• Respiratory Medicine

Background:

• Conflicting data exists regarding clinical manifestations in adults with serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels below 2.0 IU/mL.
• Previous reports suggest an association between IgE deficiency and chronic rhinosinusitis, warranting further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate self-reported respiratory diseases in women with total serum IgE levels below 2.0 IU/mL.
• To clarify the relationship between IgE deficiency and chronic rhinosinusitis in a pregnant cohort.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 626 pregnant women had their total serum IgE levels measured.
• Sera with IgE levels < 2.0 IU/mL were re-assayed using a sensitive protocol with a detection limit of 0.02 IU/mL.

Main Results:

• Twenty-one women (3.4%) had initial IgE levels < 2.0 IU/mL; 20 had detectable levels upon re-assay (geometric mean, 1.2 IU/mL).
• None of the low IgE individuals had physician-diagnosed sinusitis, versus 19.3% in the higher IgE group (P = .03).
• Physician-diagnosed asthma and hay fever prevalence differed between groups, but not significantly.

Conclusions:

• Low serum IgE levels were found to be relatively common among pregnant women in this cohort.
• Contrary to some prior studies, low IgE levels were not associated with chronic rhinosinusitis in this population.