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Genetic and environmental influences on cord blood serum IgE and on atopic sensitisation in infancy
M Haus1, H D Heese, E G Weinberg
1Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town.
Insights
Cord blood serum IgE (CBsIgE) levels at birth did not predict atopic disease development in infants across ethnic groups. Early life atopy risk was not solely determined by initial IgE concentrations.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Pediatrics
- Allergy Research
Background:
- Cord blood serum IgE (CBsIgE) concentrations may indicate future atopic disease risk.
- Previous reports noted higher CBsIgE in Black newborns, independent of atopic family history (aFH).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if median CBsIgE levels at birth differ between infants who develop clinical atopy and those who remain healthy within the first year of life.
- To analyze the relationship between CBsIgE, ethnic background, family history, and infant atopy development.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal follow-up of newborns at 3, 7, and 12 months.
- Clinical assessment for atopic disease and immunological assays (total IgE, specific IgE) including radio-allergosorbent testing.
- Categorization into 'atopic' and 'not atopic' groups based on combined clinical and immunological data.
Main Results:
- Black infants had the lowest aFH (16%) but the highest atopy incidence (64%); their median CBsIgE was not statistically different between atopic and non-atopic groups.
- White and Coloured infants had higher aFH (81.6% and 30.4%) and developed atopy at rates of 47.4% and 58.7%, respectively.
- No statistically significant difference in median CBsIgE was found between infants who developed atopy and those who remained healthy within ethnic groups.
Conclusions:
- CBsIgE levels at birth do not appear to be a reliable predictor of clinical atopy development in infancy across diverse ethnic groups.
- Factors beyond initial IgE levels and family history influence the development of atopic disease in early childhood.
Abstract:
It has recently been reported that cord blood serum IgE (CBsIgE) concentrations in a black Third-World cohort were significantly higher than those in a similar cohort of white and coloured newborns, and were not influenced by an atopic family history (aFH). This study reports on the 1-year follow-up of these newborns carried out to determine whether statistical differences in median CBsIgE values at birth could be found between infants in each ethnic group who subsequently developed clinical atopy in the first year of life and those who remained healthy. The infants were seen at 3, 7 and 12 months of age. At each visit a detailed history was taken from the mothers, the infants were examined clinically for the presence of atopic disease and blood was taken for immunological assay (total serum IgE by paper-disc radio-immunosorbent testing, and radio-allergosorbent testing for egg-white, cow's milk and Dermatophygoides pteronyssinus). A combination of clinical and immunological variables was assessed in order to categorise the infants into 'atopic' or 'not atopic' groups at the end of the 1-year follow-up period. The black infants who completed the study had the lowest incidence of aFH (16%), but 64% of them developed atopic disease during infancy. The median CBsIgE values for the black infants who became atopic were lower than, but not statistically different from, those for the group who remained non-atopic (P = 0.57). The white and coloured infants who completed the study had 81.6% and 30.4% incidences of aFH respectively, with 47.4% and 58.7% respectively developing atopic disease during infancy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)