Total serum immunoglobulin E level and specific allergens in adults with skin diseases.

Background: Immunoglobulin E (IgE) plays an important role in allergic diseases. Although several studies have shown the association of serum total IgE and allergen-specific IgE levels with allergic dermatological diseases such as atopic dermatitis, there are few studies addressing this association for skin diseases in general.

Aims: We sought to evaluate IgE levels in skin diseases and investigate the differences based on the disease type and clinical factors such as gender and age.

Methods: Data from 2836 patients who visited the dermatologic clinic of the Konkuk University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea for 4 years were reviewed to document IgE levels and clinical information. IgE levels were collated with the type of skin disease, gender, and age.

Results: Patients with atopic dermatitis had a much higher total IgE level and were more susceptible to allergens as compared to other disease groups. Patients in other disease groups showed no significant differences in IgE levels. Men showed higher total IgE levels but the gender differences decreased with increasing age.

Limitations: The data were collected from patients at a referral centre and thus may not represent the general population of dermatologic patients. There was a lack of information regarding factors that could potentially influence IgE levels such as smoking history and disease severity.

Conclusions: The results suggest that there are physiological or environmental differences in IgE-mediated immune responses between males and females. Also, except for atopic dermatitis, there were no clinical differences in the IgE levels among various skin diseases.