[Serum IgE levels in atopic diseases in childhood]

The serum IgE levels were determined according to the radioimmunosorbent technique (RIST), in 208 children aged between 1 and 14 years, with atopic diseases alone or in combination. Geometric mean IgE levels were significantly increased and rose progressively from the atopic dermatitis "alone" to the allergic rhinitis, the allergic asthma and the combination of asthma with rhinitis, with the highest values in patients where atopic dermatitis was combined with respiratory allergy. IgE levels rose slowly with age. For the atopy diagnosis in vitro, two criteria were chosen and compared: a fixed IgE-level of 100 U/ml, and one standard deviation below the geometric mean of the atopic children.