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ASTHMA |
1 Department of Epidemiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
2 The David Hide Asthma & Allergy Research Centre, St Mary’s Hospital, Isle of Wight, UK
3 Department of Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital of North Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, UK
Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr W Karmaus
Department of Epidemiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA; karmaus{at}msu.edu
Background: Evidence suggests that a raised level of cord serum IgE (CS-IgE) is a risk factor for allergic sensitisation. However, whether CS-IgE is a risk for asthma is controversial. A study was undertaken to investigate the association between CS-IgE levels and allergic sensitisation at 4 and 10 years of age and asthma at ages 1–2, 4 and 10.
Methods: CS-IgE was available for 1358 of 1456 children born between 1989 and 1990. The cohort was evaluated for allergic diseases at ages 1, 2, 4 and 10 years. Skin prick tests for six allergens were performed on 981 children at age 4 and 1036 at age 10. Asthma was defined based on a physician’s diagnosis. Using logistic regression analysis, the risk of asthma and allergic sensitisation for raised levels of CS-IgE (
0.5 kU/l) was estimated.
Results: At ages 4 and 10 years 20.2% and 27.0% of children, respectively, had allergic sensitisation. The risk of allergic sensitisation was significantly associated with raised CS-IgE levels at ages 4 (OR 2.29) and 10 years (OR 1.73). The prevalence of asthma was 10.3% at age 1–2, 15.2% at age 4, and 12.8% at age 10. CS-IgE was not associated with asthma at age 1–2 and 4 but showed an increased relative risk at age 10 (OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.05 to 2.62). The association was stronger in children who did not develop allergic sensitisation at age 4 or 10 (OR 3.35, 95% CI 1.41 to 7.93).
Conclusions: Raised cord serum IgE is a risk factor for allergic sensitisation at ages 4 and 10 years. This is the second study suggesting that CS-IgE is also a risk factor for asthma at age 10, probably related to the late onset of asthma. This association is not necessarily mediated by allergic sensitisation.
Abbreviations: CS-IgE, cord serum immunoglobulin E; SPT, skin prick test
Keywords: asthma; cord serum; immunoglobulin E; atopy; neonates; skin prick test
Relevant Article
Thorax 2004 59: 913.
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