Serum immunoglobulin E (IGE) concentrations in patients with gastrointestinal disorders.

Abstract

Because of the possibility that immunoglobulin E (IgE) is important in the pathophysiology of the human gut, we measured IgE (by radial radioimmunodiffusion) in sera of patients with various gastrointestinal diseases. IgE concentrations were normal in 71 patients with giardiasis, amebiasis, chronic ulcerative colitis, regional enteritis, chronic liver diseases, or nontropical sprue; concentrations were above the normal range in 2 of 7 patients infested with intestinal roundworms. IgE was undetectable in 2 patients with an associated deficiency of IgA and gluten-sensitive enteropathy and in 3 patients with generalized hypogammaglobulinemia, giardiasis, and malabsorption. This study of IgE in serum provides no evidence of activation of the IgE immunologic system in the disorders studied, other than in roundworm infestations. The findings contribute evidence, however, that IgE deficiency is common in immunodeficiency-related gut disorders, although the pathogenetic significance of the IgE deficit remains uncertain.