Cc. Vassella et al., HIGH ANTI-IGE LEVELS AT BIRTH ARE ASSOCIATED WITH A REDUCED ALLERGY PREVALENCE IN INFANTS AT RISK - A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY, Clinical and experimental allergy, 24(8), 1994, pp. 771-777
Development of atopic disease was prospectively studied in 148 childre
n from birth to the age of 18 months and related to serum levels of Ig
G anti-IgE antibody. Children with a dual heredity of allergy, but rem
aining healthy, had significantly higher IgG anti-IgE levels at birth
than children with a similar predisposition to allergy, who became all
ergic. Children with increased allergy risk, defined by elevated IgE l
evels at birth (>=0.53 kU/1) and with probable allergy symptoms had al
so significantly higher IgG anti-IgE levels at birth than children of
the same risk group, developing definite allergy. Independent of aller
gy risk, there was a significantly lower prevalence of atopic disease
in children with cord serum levels of IgG anti-IgE above 350 AU/1 than
in children with lower levels. Additionally, we showed that the aller
gy predictive capacity of IgE levels in cord serum was slightly improv
ed in specificity, sensitivity and efficiency by including not only th
e family history of allergy, but also cord serum levels of IgG anti-Ig
E. Our results thus raise the possibility that high levels of IgG anti
-IgE protect children of increased allergy risk from early development
of atopic disease and reduce the severity of symptoms.