Interleukin-4 and IgE in seasonal allergic conjunctivitis

We measured interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IgE to study their presence in patients with seasonal allergic conjunctivitis. Twenty patients and 10 normal subjects were enrolled in this study, and their brush cytology samples and peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) were cultured for 3 or 24 h. IL-4 levels were measured using ELISA in the supernatants. Measurements of serum IgE were also performed. IL-4 was detected in 4 of 40 brush cytology samples and 10 of 40 PBL samples, but not from the controls. IL-4 positivity rate of patients was significantly higher than normal in 24-hour cultured PBL (p = 0.03). Patients' serum IgE was also significantly higher (p = 0.006). IL-4 may contribute to the development of seasonal allergic conjunctivitis.