title: Serum cytokines and increased total serum IgE in alcoholics.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It has been reported that total serum IgE is increased in alcohol abusers, but the mechanisms responsible are not known. Production of IgE depends on B-cell stimulation by both antigens and some cytokines, particularly IL-4 and IL-13. Chronic alcoholism and alcoholic liver disease are accompanied by changes in cytokine production.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate if IgE increase in alcoholics could be associated to a ethanol-induced imbalance of the cytokine profile.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 65 patients (53 males and 12 females, aged 47 +/- 12 years), admitted to the hospital because of ethanol abstinence symptoms entered the study. On admission, total serum IgE was measured by chemiluminescent EIA and serum IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, and interferon-gamma were measured by ELISA. Data were compared with those of 40 healthy control subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum IgE, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, and IL-13 were found to be high in alcoholic patients compared with healthy volunteers. Some parallelism was observed between serum IgE and both serum IL-10 and IL-13 were increased in alcoholics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Total serum IgE elevation in alcoholics with abstinence syndrome is accompanied by an increase of some type 2 cytokines. Ethanol-induced alterations in the cytokine profile may contribute to increased IgE levels in alcoholics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: González-Quintela
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vidal
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lojo
authors.forename: L F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Otero-Antón
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gude
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Barrio
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood*; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood; D018793:Interleukin-13 / Q000097:blood; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000097:blood; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000097:blood; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000097:blood; D012907:Smoking / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D018793:Interleukin-13; D007376:Interleukin-2; D016753:Interleukin-10; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007073:Immunoglobulin E