Total serum IgE and eosinophil count in children with and without a history of asthma, wheezing, or atopy in an urban community in Indonesia. The Respiratory Disease Working Group.

Aim: The objectives of the study were to assess total serum IgE and eosinophil count in a random sample of 20% of the children between 12 and 54 months old in a suburban community of Bandung, Indonesia, and to investigate a possible relationship between these values and atopy, asthma or wheezing and parasite infestation.

Methods: Two hundred sixty-nine children were examined at the Integrated Primary Health Care Unit, and the parents or guardians were interviewed with the use of a standardized questionnaire.

Results: The overall median value of IgE was 436 IU/ml (range, 18 to 9707 IU/ml); almost 94% of the children showed an IgE value of more than 100 IU/ml, and 29% showed a value of more than 1000 IU/ml.