Abstract
It is unclear if early immune responses to allergens, specifically Th1 and Th2 cytokine production, predict later immune responses, including increased IgE levels. In a group of children (n = 151) with a parental history of allergy or asthma followed from ages 2 through 5 years, we examined IL-13, IL-4, and IFN-γ secretion by peripheral blood mononuclear cells in response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA), and to dust mite (Der f 1), cockroach (Bla g 2), and cat (Fel d 1) allergens in relation to elevated IgE. Elevated IgE was defined either as a positive IgE-specific response to at least one allergen (dust mite, cockroach, cat, and ovalbumin) or as an elevated total IgE level above a specified cut-off value. In multivariate logistic regression models including 181 observations made between the age of 2 through 5 years and accounting for repeated measures, we found an association between increased IL-13 secretion in response to Der f 1 and elevated IgE (odds ratio [OR] = 1.21, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.09–1.34). Age did not modify this relationship. No association was found between allergen-induced IFN-γ secretion and IgE production. Among the group of children with measurements made at age 4–5 (n = 70), IL-13 in response to Der f 1 (p = 0.046), and IL-4 in response to PHA (p = 0.04) were increased among children with elevated IgE. In a smaller subset of children with measurements made at both age 2–3 and age 4–5 (n = 36), IL-13 levels at age 2–3 were also significantly increased in response to Der f 1 (p = 0.01) and Fel d 1 (p = 0.002) among those with elevated IgE at age 4–5. In a group of children ages 2–5 years, there is an association between IL-13 and elevated IgE.
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LY, N.P., LI, Y., Sredl, D.L. et al. Elevated Allergen-Induced IL-13 Secretion Predicts IgE Elevation in Children Ages 2–5 Years. J Clin Immunol 25, 314–320 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10875-005-4699-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10875-005-4699-5