title: Specific IgE positivity against inhalant allergens and development of autoimmune disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Allergic and autoimmune diseases have been suggested to be inversely associated. We investigated the association between atopy and development of any and specific types of autoimmune disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  We included a total of 14,849 individuals from five population-based studies with measurements of atopy defined as specific IgE positivity against inhalant allergens. We followed the participants by linkage to the Danish National Patient Register (median follow-up time 11.2 years). Hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of autoimmune disease were estimated by Cox regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The risk for atopics versus non-atopics was: for any autoimmune disease (HR = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.83, 1.18), thyrotoxicosis (HR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.34, 1.37), type 1 diabetes (HR = 1.16, 95% CI: 0.84, 1.60), multiple sclerosis (HR = 1.97, 95% CI: 0.95, 4.11), iridocyclitis (HR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.38, 1.74), Crohn's disease (HR = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.47, 2.25), ulcerative colitis (HR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.52, 1.69), psoriasis vulgaris (HR = 1.50, 95% CI: 0.86, 2.62), seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (HR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.48, 1.14) and polymyalgia rheumatica (HR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.44, 1.44).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found no statistically significant associations between atopy and autoimmune disease, but we cannot exclude relatively small to moderate effects - protective or promotive - of atopy on autoimmune disease.
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Prevention and Health, Glostrup Hospital , Glostrup , Denmark .
authors.forename: Tea
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Skaaby
authors.forename: Lise Lotte Nystrup
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Husemoen
authors.forename: Betina Heinsbæk
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Thuesen
authors.forename: Runa Vavia
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Fenger
authors.forename: Allan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Linneberg
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology*; D000918:Antibody Specificity / Q000276:immunology*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D007073:Immunoglobulin E
keywords: Atopy; crohn’s disease; iridocyclitis; multiple sclerosis; polymyalgia rheumatica; psoriasis vulgaris; rheumatoid arthritis; thyrotoxicosis