title: Association between IgE levels and asthma severity among African American, Mexican, and Puerto Rican patients with asthma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  High levels of IgE are associated with asthma. Whether higher levels of IgE are associated with more severe asthma is still unclear.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether IgE is associated with asthma severity among Latino and African American subjects with asthma.
  
  
  METHODS
  We assessed lung function and asthma severity among African American, Mexican, and Puerto Rican patients with asthma with high IgE levels (> or =100 IU/mL; n = 492) and compared these values to those of patients with asthma with low IgE levels (<100 IU/mL; n = 247). We also examined IgE as a continuous variable among these groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with asthma with high IgE had a lower mean FEV(1) (87.6 +/- 17.1, percent of predicted) than patients with asthma with low IgE (91.5 +/- 17.0; P = .031). Regardless of race and ethnicity, baseline FEV(1), forced expiratory flow, and FEV(1)/forced vital capacity were lower among subjects with high IgE than among subjects with low IgE (P = .031, P < .0001, P = .0001, respectively). In addition, 54.7% of patients with asthma with high IgE had been previously hospitalized, compared with 44.1% of patients with asthma with low IgE (odds ratio, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.04-1.71).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Higher IgE is associated with lower baseline lung function and more severe asthma among these populations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among patients with asthma from 3 ethnically distinct groups, total IgE levels are inversely correlated with baseline lung function and asthma severity.
authors.affiliation: University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143-2911, USA.
authors.forename: Mariam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Naqvi
authors.forename: Shweta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Choudhry
authors.forename: Hui-Ju
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Shannon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thyne
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Navarro
authors.forename: Sylvette
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nazario
authors.forename: Jose R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Santana
authors.forename: Jesus
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Casal
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: Rocio
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chapela
authors.forename: H Geoffrey
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.forename: Kelley
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Meade
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Cintron
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lenoir
authors.forename: Pedro C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Avila
authors.forename: Esteban González
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Burchard
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology*; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood*; D008800:Mexico; D011647:Puerto Rico
chemical_list: D007073:Immunoglobulin E