Competent cellular immunity in allergic rhinitis patients with elevated IgE.
Parameters of cell-mediated immunity (CMI) were studied in 17 allergic rhinitis patients selected for markedly elevated total serum IgE levels (greater than 300 IU/ml) and 14 normal controls. Mean serum IgE levels were 1,421 IU/ml and 101 IU/ml in the allergic and control groups, respectively (p less than 0.001). There were no significant differences between the allergic patients and the normal controls in delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity, in mitogen and antigen lymphocyte transformation in heterologous or autologous plasma, or in percentage of sheep erythrocyte rosettes. The allergic patient group had a significantly higher percentage of sheep erythrocyte-antibody-complement rosettes (p less than 0.05). Markedly elevated total serum IgE levels in allergic rhinitis patients were not associated with any detectable impairment of CMI.
D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed / Q000175:diagnosis; D007104:Immune Adherence Reaction; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000032:analysis*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000276:immunology*
D007073:Immunoglobulin E