IgG4-IgE complex in a patient with IgG4-related disease

IgE concentrations are occasionally elevated in patients with IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD). In this report, we describe a novel case of IgG4-RD in which IgE concentrations were discordant between measuring reagents.

An 81-year-old man was diagnosed with IgG4-RD and histological autoimmune pancreatitis, which ensued without treatment. The IgE concentrations measured using Elecsys IgE II Immunoassay and Iatroace IgE were 1287.0 IU/mL and 60.9 IU/mL, respectively. IgG4 concentration was 675 mg/dL.

To identify IgG and IgG4 directly bound to IgE, purification using protein G and anti-IgG4 antibody-conjugated matrixes and size-exclusion high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were performed.

In purification analysis, the IgE concentration of the flow-through and bound fractions were 6.8 IU/mL (10.8%) and 56.2 IU/mL (89.2%) for IgG purification and 6.8 IU/mL (12.2%) and 49.0 IU/mL (87.8%) for IgG4 purification. IgE was eluted as a single peak (640 kDa) using size-exclusion HPLC. In the elution pattern of IgG4, a minor peak (640 kDa) and a major peak (170 kDa) were observed. These results indicate that IgG4 binds to IgE and forms a complex, resulting in a discrepancy between reagents.

In this report, we present an IgG4-IgE complex in a patient with IgG4-RD, which affected the discrepancy in IgE concentrations between IgE reagents. This report points to the significance of increased IgE production in IgG4-RD.