title: Laboratorial characteristics of patients with diarrhoea suffering from egg white allergy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Egg allergy is associated with diarrhoeal symptoms. However, the mechanism underlying allergic diarrhoea remains unclear.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether egg white-specific IgE antibodies coexist with egg white-specific IgG antibodies in patients with egg allergy featuring diarrhoeal symptoms, and whether there is any relationship between these two antibody types.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 89 patients with egg allergy featuring diarrhoeal symptoms (average age, 23.2 years; range, 1-78 years), all of whom tested positive for egg white-specific IgG, were enrolled in this study. The concentration of total IgE, egg white-specific IgE and number of eosinophils in the serum were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 89 egg white allergic patients tested, 49 (55.1%) patients showed high reactivity to egg white-specific IgG, 48 (53.9%) patients had elevated serum total IgE levels, and 25 (28.1%) patients had elevated absolute eosinophil numbers. Out of the 89 egg white allergic patients, 25 showed elevated egg white-specific IgE antibody levels. Of the 25 patients who were positive for egg white-specific IgE antibody, 21 presented high sensitive reaction to egg white-specific IgG, three presented moderate sensitive reaction to egg white-specific IgG, and one presented mild sensitive reaction to egg white-specific IgG. A moderate correlation between egg white-specific IgG and egg white-specific IgE, egg white-specific IgG and absolute eosinophil number was found in the egg white allergic patients (r=0.438, P=0.000; r=0.322, P=0.002). Egg white-specific IgE levels varied in different age groups; the egg white-specific IgE concentration of younger patients (age≤18 years, mean rank 54.29) was significantly higher than that of the adult patients (age>18 years, mean rank 34.61) (Z=-3.629, P=0.000).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Egg white-specific IgE antibody could coexist with egg white-specific IgG antibody in patients suffering from egg white allergy. Aberrant changes in the concentration of egg white-specific IgE antibody were associated with the presence of egg white-specific IgG antibody.
authors.affiliation: Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361004, China.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Center of Clinical Laboratory, Zhongshan Hospital, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361004, China; Xiamen Zhongshan Hospital, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xiamen 361004, China.
authors.forename: L-R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Center of Clinical Laboratory, Zhongshan Hospital, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361004, China.
authors.forename: H-L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Center of Clinical Laboratory, Zhongshan Hospital, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361004, China.
authors.forename: G-L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Center of Clinical Laboratory, Zhongshan Hospital, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361004, China.
authors.forename: M-L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.affiliation: Center of Clinical Laboratory, Zhongshan Hospital, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361004, China.
authors.forename: Y-L
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: Center of Clinical Laboratory, Zhongshan Hospital, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361004, China.
authors.forename: S-J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Center of Clinical Laboratory, Zhongshan Hospital, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361004, China.
authors.forename: C-L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Center of Clinical Laboratory, Zhongshan Hospital, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361004, China; Xiamen Zhongshan Hospital, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xiamen 361004, China.
authors.forename: L-L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Center of Clinical Laboratory, Zhongshan Hospital, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361004, China; Xiamen Zhongshan Hospital, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xiamen 361004, China. Electronic address: yangtianci@xmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: T-C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000485:Allergens / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D021181:Egg Hypersensitivity / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D004529:Egg White / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood*; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood*; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000276:immunology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D010047:Ovalbumin
keywords: Egg white allergy; Egg white protein; Egg white-specific IgE; Egg white-specific IgG