Association between IgE levels and asthma severity among African American, Mexican, and Puerto Rican patients with asthma.
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.
Naqvi
Mariam
M
University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143-2911, USA.
Choudhry
Shweta
S
Tsai
Hui-Ju
HJ
Thyne
Shannon
S
Navarro
Daniel
D
Nazario
Sylvette
S
Rodriguez-Santana
Jose R
JR
Casal
Jesus
J
Torres
Alfonso
A
Chapela
Rocio
R
Watson
H Geoffrey
HG
Meade
Kelley
K
Rodriguez-Cintron
William
W
Lenoir
Michael
M
Avila
Pedro C
PC
Burchard
Esteban González
EG
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
D007073:Immunoglobulin E