ANTI-PLASTICIZER SPECIFIC IGE IS PRESENT IN THE SERUM OF TRANSFUSED PATIENTS

Sera from 29 patients who had reacted to a platelet (27) or packed red cell (2) transfusion and from 5 patients who had received platelets w ithout reacting were collected over a 13-month period. The sera were a ssayed for total IgE, and IgE specific for ethylene oxide, phthalic an hydride, hexamethylene diisocyanate, methylene diphenyl diisocyanate, toluene diisocyanate, and mast cell tryptase. Three patients with reac tions had elevated total IgE levels, and specific IgE was positive for hexamethylene diisocyanate in 2 of 28 (7.1%), methylene diphenyl diis ocyanate in 1 of 29 (3.4%), and toluene diisocyanate in 14 of 27 (51.9 %). No positives were found in the patients without reactions and no p atients had an elevated tryptase level. It is unlikely that antiplasti cizer hypersensitivity was responsible for the transfusion reactions, but the prevalence and significance of such antibodies in both the hos pital population and the general population would merit further invest igation.