Selective IgE deficiency, immune dysregulation, and autoimmunity.
Selective IgE deficiency (IgED) is currently defined as a significant decrease in serum levels of IgE (<2 kIU/L) in a patient whose other immunoglobulin levels are normal. There are no published large-scale epidemiological studies regarding the prevalence of and clinical features of IgED. In the population-based case-control study, we investigated clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients with IgED. Case samples were drawn from all subjects (n = 18487), with serum total IgE measurement during 2012 at Leumit Health Care Services (Israel) and had serum total IgE of <2 kIU/L. The control group was randomly sampled from the remaining 18,261 subjects with a case-control ratio of four controls for each case (1:4). Comorbid diseases were identified by specific International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnostic codes given by the corresponding board-certificated physicians. Two hundred twenty-six subjects showed serum total IgE levels of <2 kIU/L; 68 (30.9%) were between the ages of 4 and 12 years (children) and 250 (69.1%) were ≥12 years old (adults). Matched control groups were selected for each age group. The children group was characterized by higher prevalence of asthma and hyperreactive airways disease; and both children and adult groups had significantly higher prevalence of chronic sinusitis, otitis media, autoimmune, and oncological diseases than their respective controls. Undetectable serum total IgE may serve as a marker of immune dysregulation and autoimmunity.
Leumit Health Care Services, Ashdod, Israel.
Eli
E
Magen
Menachem
M
Schlesinger
Michael
M
David
Itzhak
I
Ben-Zion
Daniel
D
Vardy
D000293:Adolescent; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D015551:Autoimmunity; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000209:etiology; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D007153:Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*; D007239:Infections / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D007073:Immunoglobulin E