Clinical evaluation of total IgE in tears of patients with allergic conjunctivitis disease using a novel application of the immunochromatography method.
BACKGROUND
The determination of total IgE in tears is useful as a diagnostic tool in allergic conjunctivitis disease (ACD). We evaluated the efficacy of this diagnostic tool for ACD, which is a clinically applicable novel immunochromagraphic method to determine total IgE in tears.


METHODS
The subjects comprised 4 groups: 15 patients with vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC group), 8 patients with atopic keratoconjunctivitis (AKC group), 18 patients with allergic conjunctivitis (AC group), and 7 normal healthy volunteers as a control (control group). Tears were sampled using filter paper, and the total IgE in tears was determined by immunochromatography assay. Semiquantitative determination was carried out by examining the intensity of the colored line using an immunochromatoreader (IgE index). The relationship between IgE indices in tears and total IgE levels in serum or between IgE indices and the clinical scores of ACD was examined.


RESULTS
The positive ratio obtained by this novel application of the immunochromatography assay was 38 of the 41 in the patients with ACD and none in the 7 controls. IgE indices for the VKC group, AKC group and AC group were 27.5 +/- 15.6, 19.8 +/- 15.8, and 4.0 +/- 3.1 (mean +/- SD), respectively. IgE indices in tears showed significant correlation with both total IgE levels in serum (P < 0.001, r = 0.76) and clinical scores of ACD (P < 0.001, r = 0.57).


CONCLUSIONS
The novel application of the immunochromatography assay to assess the total IgE in tears is a useful clinical tool to investigate ACD.
Department of Ophthalmology, Division of Visual Sciences, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. ninada@med.nihon-u.ac.jp
Noriko
N
Inada
Jun
J
Shoji
Hiroshi
H
Kato
Surayah
S
Kiely
Mulyanto
Mitsuru
M
Sawa
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002846:Chromatography, Affinity / Q000379:methods*; D003233:Conjunctivitis, Allergic / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D007163:Immunosorbent Techniques; D008297:Male; D013666:Tears / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology
D007073:Immunoglobulin E