IgE Ratio in Tears: A Predictive Tool of Ocular Allergic Inflammation

To demonstrate the tear IgE (measured/exuded) ratio (R) as a useful biological marker of ocular allergy in order to distinguish severe from less severe inflammatory status.

Tear samples and sera from 78 ocular allergy patients and 19 control subjects were analyzed. Total IgE and albumin were measured for calculating the tear IgE-R defining two subgroups (SG) of samples: R ≥ 4-SG and R < 4-SG. Eosinophil cationic protein, Th1 and Th2 cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-4, -5, -6, -8 and -10) and protein electrophoretic profiles were also investigated in tears.

The R < 4-SG compared to the R ≥ 4-SG shows higher levels of tear albumin, eosinophil cationic protein, and Th1 and Th2 cytokines. Moreover, each subgroup presents a specific protein profile.

This study showed that an IgE-R lower than four must be carefully interpreted as a warning sign of a severe inflammatory context and should be also associated with an exploration of immunological profile.