Influence of smoke exposure on serum IgE levels of atopic patients.

The effect of environmental tobacco smoke on serum total immunoglobulin E (IgE) of respiratory allergic patients was evaluated in this study. A total of 558 patients with respiratory allergies (311 boys and 248 girls) aged between 1 and 17 years (mean 6.92 +/- 3.81 years) were included. None of the subjects were active smokers. IgE levels were significantly higher in children with smoking parents compared with non-smokers (P < 0.05). Children with smoking mothers were found to have higher levels of IgE than children with smoking fathers. The highest level of IgE was found in children when both parents were smokers (P < 0.005).