Predicting asthma severity from allergic sensitivity to cockroaches in pregnant inner city women

OBJECTIVE: To measure and compare cockroach (CR)-specific immunoglobin E (I gE) in sera from pregnant women with mild, moderate and severe asthma. STUDY DESIGN: CR IgE Levels were measured in stored sera collected during t he Collaborative Perinatal Project. Three matched groups of 93 women were f ormed: group I (mild), history of asthma but no acute exacerbation; group I I (moderate), acute asthma exacerbation; group III (severe), required hospi talization for a diagnosis of status asthmaticus. ANOVA was used to compare the three means. RESULTS: Mean CR IgE paralleled prenatal asthma severity. Mean values were 6.50, 13.12 and 28.99 kU/L for groups I, II and III, respectively (P =.06). High allergen sensitivity, defined as CR IgE > 60 kU/L, was identified in 8 of the 93 study samples. The prevalence of high allergen sensitivity incr eased as clinical asthma became more severe. Sixty-two per cent (5/8) of th e high allergen sensitivity occurred in group III. CONCLUSION: There appears to be a positive correlation between sensitivity to CR allergens and asthma severity during pregnancy, and these findings su pport further evaluation of CR allergen sensitivity as a predictor of asthm a severity in pregnancy.