Heterogeneity of serum IgE levels in atopic dermatitis

Abstract

To determine whether serum IgE levels in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) have a relationship to familial background of atopic respiratory disease (ARD), serum IgE levels were measured in 50 AD patients who had personal history of ARD, 37 AD patients who did not have personal history of ARD but had family history of ARD, and 52 "pure" AD patients who had neither personal nor family history of ARD. The "pure" AD patients showed significantly lower serum IgE levels than AD patients who had personal or family history of ARD. It is suggested that AD patients may be classified into at least two subgroups: those with ARD predisposition who have an enhanced IgE producing potential, and those without ARD predisposition who have a low or not-enhanced ability for IgE production.

Melatonin inhibits the development of 2,4‐dinitrofluorobenzene‐induced atopic dermatitis‐like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice

“…Increased total serum IgE levels are a hallmark of AD, and it is well known that IL‐4 (a Th2‐type cytokine) induces the class switching to IgM secreting B cells to IgE secreting B cells. Furthermore, elevated serum IgE levels have several effects on skin inflammation [39–41]. IgE expression is known to cause both acute and chronic phase skin symptoms, and it has been reported that repeated painting with DNFB increases serum IgE in NC/Nga mice [5, 7, 9, 10].…”