All issues > Volume 32(6); 1989

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1989;32(6):749-755. Published online June 30, 1989.

Serum IgE Levels in Bronchiolitis Patients.

Seong Hee Choi¹, Keun Lee¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea

Received: November 28, 1988;  Accepted: December 9, 1988.

Abstract

Bronchiolitis is a virus.caused lower respiratory disease resulting from inflammatory obstruction of the small airways. The condition may develop to asthma anddifferential diagnosis is not clearcut between two diseases during infancy. Measurement of the serum IgE concentration has been used as an aid in the differential diagnosis. The purpose of this study is to compare the serum IgE levels between control groups and bronchiolitis patients, between bronchiolitis patients with past history of atopy or bronchiolitis and patients without past history, and between bronchiolitis patients who developed atopy &/or bronchiolitis in the follow up and patients who did not. The results were as follows: 1) The sex ratio of male to female in bronchiolitis group was 2.1:1.9. 2) Mean serum IgE level was higher in bronchiolitis patients than those in control grouþs (p<0.05). 3) Mean serum IgE level was higher in bronchiolitis patients with past history of bronchiolitis or atopy than those in bronchiolitis patients without past history and in control group. 4) In the follow up, which was done 6 months after admission, 60 (67.4%) among bronchiolitis patients developed atopy or bronchiolitis, 43 (48.3%) developed bronchiolitis. 5) Mean serum IgE level was higher in bronchiolitis patients who developed atopy or bronchiolitis than those in bronchiolitis patients who did not develop atopy or bronchiolitis and in control group. 6) In past history or follow up, mean rum IgE level was higher in bronchiolitis patieI1ts with past hisory and/or who developed atopy or bronchiolitis in follow up than those in bronchiolitis patients without past history or who did not atopy or bronchiolitis in follow up and in control group.

Keywords :Bronchiolitis, Immunoglobulin E