Effect of immunotherapy on seasonal changes in serum-specific IgE and IgG4 in patients with pollen allergic rhinitis.

Abstract

Serum specific IgE and IgG4 in 70 patients with seasonal rhinitis caused by Japanese cedar pollens were determined before and during the pollen season. Seasonal increase rate in specific IgE was significantly smaller in the immunotherapy patients than the pharmacotherapy patients, and seasonal increase in specific IgG4 was significant in the immunotherapy patients only. Seasonal increase rate in specific IgE was not significantly different between the patients who responded markedly to short-term immunotherapy and those who did not. On the other hand, seasonal increase rate in specific IgG4 was significantly different between them. In contrast, seasonal increase rate in specific IgE was significantly smaller in the patients who showed marked response to the long-term immunotherapy than those who did not show marked response to the long-term immunotherapy, but seasonal increase rate in specific IgG4 was not significantly different between them. In conclusion, our results suggest that modulation of specific IgG4 response and specific IgE response might be involved in the early and late symptom relief during immunotherapy, respectively. However, further studies might be necessary to definitively establish the clinical roles of specific IgE and specific IgG4 in immunotherapy.