title: Allergy, total IgE and eosinophils in East and West -- serious effects of different degrees of helminthiasis and smoking.
abstract: Allergies are rarer in East Germany than in West Germany, although elevated IgE-levels and blood eosinophil counts can be found in the East. The aim of this study is to control the known results in Slowakia. The total-IgE and the blood eosinophil counts as well as stool samples of 311 plant-workers in Slovakia and 522 in West Germany were checked. In 1999/2000 21% of the plant workers examined in Slovakia suffered from an allergy compared with 32 % of the workers in West Germany. In contrast the total IgE in the East (Slovakia) was 166 IU/ml compared with 99 IU/ml in West Germany. Worms were detected in the stools in 7 % of those examined in the East and in only 1 % of those in the West. The percentage distribution of eosinophils in the blood was on average 7.5% in the East and 2.7% in the West. 39% of the workers in the East were smokers compared with 20% in the West. Nevertheless among non-smoking workers volunteers without parasites, the total IgE and eosinophil count were higher in those from the East than in those from the West. For Slowakia we can show for the first time that allergies are less frequent compared with West-Germany. The total IgE and the blood eosinophils are associated with higher smoking habits and more frequent helminthic diseases.
authors.affiliation: Works Medical Service, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma KG, Postfach 200, D-55216 Ingelheim, Germany. michael.schneider@ing.boehringer-ingelheim.com
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Hilgers
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sennekamp
mesh_terms: D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004804:Eosinophils; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006373:Helminthiasis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D018154:Slovakia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012907:Smoking / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D007073:Immunoglobulin E