Serum IgE Concentrations and Skin Reactivity to Anti-IgE Antibody in IgA-Deficient Patients

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Abstract
Patients with IgA deficiency were examined to determine whether infection proneness is correlated with an associated deficit in IgE production, an association recently suggested by studies of patients with ataxia telangiectasia. IgE was detected in the skin of 24 of 26 IgA-deficient patients at dilutions of goat anti-IgE causing positive responses in controls, and in two of 26 with stronger concentrations of anti-IgE than required in controls. IgE concentrations ranged from 141 to 1987 ng per milliliter in 15 of 25 IgA-deficient serums examined; concentrations were less than 100 ng per milliliter in the remaining serums. A high correlation (p equal to 0.0136) was found between a serum IgE concentration of more than 100 ng per milliliter and a diagnosis of atopic disorders. No correlation was shown between infection proneness and serum or skin IgE concentration. The data obtained do not support a relation between infection proneness and a combined deficiency of IgA and IgE in the patients studied. Other explanations must be sought for the differential susceptibility to infection of IgA-deficient persons.