Association between serum immunoglobulin E levels and knee osteoarthritis in Korean adults

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine whether osteoarthritis (OA) in the knees was associated with total immunoglobulin E (IgE), allergen-specific IgE, or allergic sensitizations in a nationally representative population. The study population comprised of 785 adults aged 50 years or more in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010. OA was diagnosed as radiographic (rOA) and symptomatic osteoarthritis (sxOA). We performed multivariable logistic regression analyses to investigate relationships of OA in a knee with serum total IgE, allergen (Dermatophagoides farinae, cockroach, and dog allergens)-specific IgE, and allergic sensitizations. Participants with the highest tertile of the total IgE had 92% and 242% increased risk of knee rOA and sxOA, respectively. Those with D.farinae-specific IgE had 2.2 times increased risk of knee sxOA compared to the lowest tertile. Participants with high total IgE (>150kU/L) had a 60% increased risk of knee rOA. Those with D.farinae-specific sensitization (>0.35kU/L) had 2.0 times increased risk of knee sxOA in compared to those without sensitization. Population-attributable fractions of knee rOA caused by high total IgE and knee sxOA caused by D.farinae-specific sensitization were 9.8% and 15.3%, respectively. Total IgE and D.farinae-specific IgE were significantly associated with OA in knees of Korean adults. High total IgE and D.farinae-specific sensitization were also associated with their OA.