Statistical evaluation of nondetectable concentrations of IgE.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to B Kjellman.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
We describe a 7-year-old boy with necrosis of the tongue due to a generalized vasculitis, with symptoms and signs consistent with periarteritis nodosa and appearing after an infection with streptococci. Approximately one-third of the tongue had to be extirpated.
OBJECTIVE: To study the occurrence of bronchial obstructive symptoms and immunoglobulin (Ig) E antibodies after respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis in infancy. Previous studies of this subject have mostly been retrospective or without controls, or the controls have not been followed prospectively. DESIGN: This was a prospective cohort study with matched controls. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-seven infants had experienced RSV bronchiolitis severe enough to cause hospitalization at a mean age of 3 1/2 months. For each child with RSV infection, two controls were acquired from the local Child Health Center and matched for date of birth, sex, and residence. Only one control was obtained for one RSV child, and the control group thus contained 93 children. METHODS: All the children underwent two follow-up examinations, the first one at a mean age of 1 year and the second at a mean age of 3 years. At the first follow-up, a skin-prick test against egg white was performed, and serum IgG antibodies against RSV were measured. At the second follow-up, serum IgE antibodies were measured using screening tests for common food and inhalant antibodies, and skin-prick tests against egg white, cat, birch, and mite allergen were performed. Hereditary and environmental factors (passive smoking, indoor furred animals) and duration of breast-feeding were recorded. RESULTS: At the first follow-up, 89% in the RSV group and 27% in the control group had IgG antibodies against RSV (P < .001). At the second follow-up, asthma, defined as three episodes of bronchial obstruction verified by a physician, was found in 11 of 47 children (23%) in the RSV group and in 1 of 93 children (1%) in the control group (P < .001). A positive test for IgE antibodies was noted in 14 of 44 (32%) RSV children and in 8 of 92 (9%) children in the control group (P = .002). An analysis of risk factors for the development of asthma and IgE antibodies on the whole group of 140 children showed that RSV bronchiolitis was the most important risk factor, and a family history of atopy or asthma further increased the risk. CONCLUSIONS: Respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis during the first year of life apparently is an important risk factor for the development of asthma and sensitization to common allergens during the subsequent 2 years, particularly in children with hereditary for atopy/asthma.
BACKGROUND: Few studies have addressed the relationship between sensitization and the development of atopic disease over many years. OBJECTIVE: To study the temporal relationship between the appearance of IgE antibodies in serum and atopic disease, we studied 324 children from three different groups, who were followed up prospectively from birth for 4, 12, and 15 years, respectively. METHODS: Serum samples were obtained at various ages and analyzed for IgE antibodies against egg white, cow's milk, wheat, animal dander, house dust mite, birch and timothy with Phadebas RAST (Kabi Pharmacia Diagnostics AB, Uppsala, Sweden) or Pharmacia CAP system. In addition, a screening test for atopy, the Phadiatop Paediatric test (Kabi Pharmacia Diagnostics AB) was performed. Presence of atopic disease was assessed by means of clinical examination, interviews, and questionnaires. RESULTS: In 135 children IgE antibodies were detected at least once to at least one allergen. Antibodies to egg white appeared in 46 children before or at 2 years of age: in 57% of them IgE antibodies to inhalants developed within the next 2 years, and in 19 of 25 (76%) IgE antibodies to inhalants developed before or at 12 to 15 years. Antibodies to inhalant allergens appeared in 55 children during the first 4 years of life and in 64 before 12 to 15 years. Among the former 48% and among the latter 32% had previously detectable egg white antibodies. Atopic disease appeared before or at age 4 years in 80% of the 40 children with IgE antibodies against egg white up to 9 months of age and in 69% of the 58 children who had a positive Phadiatop Paediatric test result in infancy. CONCLUSIONS: IgE antibodies in children are usually associated with current or later topic disease. Sensitization to foods in infants is usually associated with appearance of IgE antibodies to inhalants later in life.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Fifty-six children with asthma, randomly selected from a hospital clinic, were followed prospectively for 15 years from a median age of 9-24 years of age. Four follow-ups were performed and included scoring of the frequency of wheezing, the need for medication, admissions to hospital, spirometry, skin prick tests and RAST to common inhaled allergens, and evaluation of living conditions. One patient died of asthma. The remaining 55 reported for all follow-ups. After the second follow-up at a median age of 13 years, all parameters of severity of asthma showed improvement, which was significant at the last follow-up when all subjects were more than 20 years of age. Only 16% of the subjects had been free from wheezing and medication the year prior to the last follow-up. Approximately 90% of the children had clinical allergies and positive allergy tests to pollens and danders and the majority of children retained both the allergies and the reactivity into adulthood. Reactivity to moulds and mites was less frequent (40% and 31%, respectively) and seemed to decrease in adulthood. Approximately 10% of the subjects developed neither clinical allergies nor reactivity in allergy tests. Children with atopic eczema usually retained their eczema as adults. Frequent wheezing and abnormal spirometry in childhood and early onset of asthma were associated with poorer outcome. The social prognosis was excellent.
The appearance and course of serum immunoglobulin E-antibodies (IgE-ab) to egg-white (EW), cow's milk (CM) and inhalants (pollen, danders and mite) were followed from birth to 12 years of age in 84 children unselected for family history of atopy. During the follow-up 36 children developed atopic symptoms and 48 children did not. IgE-ab to EW and CM reached a peak prevalence at 8 months of age--with high concentrations almost exclusively in atopics and disappeared successively during childhood. IgE-ab to inhalants appeared from 2 years of age and then in increasing frequency during childhood. Similar to the pattern of IgE-ab to EW and CM, transient low levels of IgE-ab to inhalants were commonly encountered in non-atopic children while high concentrations without tendency to decline were almost exclusively seen in atopics. High responders to EW-antigen during infancy were usually also high responders to inhalants during childhood. Clinical allergy to EW and CM and subsequent tolerance appeared early in childhood, whereas allergy to inhalants appeared later and did not disappear. The temporary low-grade IgE antibody response in non-atopic individuals to eaten and inhaled allergens is similar to the results of animal studies demonstrating a transient IgE production followed by tolerance.
Two matched groups of children with a family history of atopy/allergy were observed from birth. In one group (n = 65) the mothers had a diet free from eggs, cow's milk, and fish during the first 3 months of lactation, whereas the mothers in the other group (n = 50) had a normal diet. Atopic/allergic manifestations, skin-prick tests, and specific IgE antibodies to egg white and cow's milk during the first 18 months of life have been reported previously. At 4 years of age the children underwent a clinical examination, skin-prick tests, and determination of specific IgE antibodies in serum against certain food and inhalant allergens. Both the cumulative incidence and the current prevalence of atopic dermatitis were significantly lower in the group of children whose mothers had adhered to a hypoallergenic diet during lactation, whereas all other atopic manifestations were similar. The number of children with positive skin-prick tests and specific IgE antibodies did not differ significantly, but the number of positive skin-prick tests and specific IgE antibody reactions in serum was significantly lower in the children of mothers adhering to the diet, indicating a milder degree of sensitization in these children.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Serum levels of IgE, IgE antibodies to egg white (EW) and cow's milk (CM), IgG, and IgA antibodies to ovalbumin (OA) and beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) were measured in a group of 115 infants with a family history of atopy/allergy at birth and at 3, 6, 9, 12, and 18 months of age. The mothers of 65 infants avoided eggs, CM, and fish during the first 3 months of lactation (maternal antigen avoidance diet, D group), whereas the remaining 50 mothers had no diet restrictions (no maternal antigen avoidance diet, ND group). CM was introduced after 6 months of age and EW after 9 months. The only statistically significant difference between the D and ND group infants was a lower rate of specimens with IgE antibodies to EW and/or CM in the infants at 3 months of age (p = 0.008). IgE antibodies to EW and/or CM appeared in 62 infants during the study period and often during complete breast-feeding. In 40 of the infants, IgE antibodies appeared before the introduction of EW and CM into the diet. The IgE concentrations of the D and the ND group infants were similar. Cord-blood IgE was a poor predictor of atopy/allergy; for example, only seven of 103 infants with double heredity for atopy/allergy had values above the 90th percentile of our normal reference. The concentrations of IgG antibodies to OA and BLG were similar in the two groups. The levels decreased significantly (p less than 0.001) from birth to 6 months of age, indicating a passive placental transfer.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Atopic/allergic manifestations and skin-prick tests (SPT) to egg white, cow's milk (CM) and fish were evaluated during the first 18 months of life in two matched groups of infants with a family history of atopy/allergy. In one group (n = 65) the mothers had a diet free from eggs, CM and fish during the first 3 months postpartum, whereas the mothers in the other group (n = 50) consumed an ordinary diet. The diet of the infants was similar in both groups, i.e. CM was not supplied until 6 months of age, and eggs and fish not until 9 months of age. The incidence of atopic dermatitis was significantly lower in the maternal diet group during the first 6 months postpartum (10.8 and 28%, respectively) but not after that age. Other atopic/allergic manifestations did not differ and the number of positive SPT to egg white, CM or fish at 9 months of age was similar in both groups.
A 24 day old girl with homocystinuria and hypomethioninaemia caused by methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase deficiency presented with rapidly progressing encephalopathy and myopathy. An almost complete recovery was achieved by treatment with betaine.
Seven asthmatic children were given terbutaline intravenously. The intact drug was measured in plasma and urine, and its conjugates were measured in urine. The decreasing plasma concentrations of terbutaline did not attain a terminal slope until 8-12 h after dosing. This was most likely due to different kinetics of the enantiomers. The terminal half-life was 8.8-15.8 h. Body clearance was 2.73-5.44 ml/min/kg, two-thirds of which were of renal origin. The volume of distribution (Vss) was 1.28-1.83 l/kg. The disposition pharmacokinetics of terbutaline do not rationalize a higher dose per kg body weight in children than in adults.
A group of eighty-six children followed from birth to 4 years of age and previously reported was now re-investigated at the age of 7 years. The prevalence of atopy/allergy was 15%. All of the children with current atopy/allergy had had previous manifestations during their first 4 years of life. No child was allergic to milk at the age of 7 years and only two of the six children with a previous allergy to eggs retained their allergy. No other children had developed allergies to milk or eggs. Only one of the eight children with an elevated level of IgE antibodies to egg white (RAST class 1 or more) during infancy still had increased concentrations of such antibodies. No child had developed an elevated level of IgE antibodies to egg white or milk after the first year of life. Clinical allergies to inhalants had increased from 1% at 4 years of age to 7% at 7 years. Children with elevated levels of IgE antibodies to inhalants had increased from 7% at 4 years of age to 10% at 7 years. The majority of them had had increased levels of IgE antibodies to egg white during infancy. The specificity of an elevated level of cord blood IgE, i.e. above 0.9 kU/l for predicting atopy/allergy during the first 7 years of life and for current atopy/allergy at 7 years of age were both 95%. The corresponding figures for presence of elevated levels of IgE antibodies to egg white (positive RAST) during infancy were 98 and 97%, respectively. The sensitivity of the cord blood IgE predictor was 14 and 17%, respectively and for a positive RAST to egg white during infancy 32 and 50%, respectively.
Out of 242 children (10 and 14 years of age) in one school-district 221 (93%) were evaluated for atopy/allergy by a questionnaire, interview, physical examination and determination of S-IgE and IgE-antibodies (RAST) to pollen, animal danders and house dust mite. Eighteen months after the initial examination all 221 children were re-interviewed. All children with previous or current symptoms of atopy/allergy, all children with positive RAST despite a negative history and 20 non-atopic/non-allergic RAST-negative children were tested with a skin prick test (SPT). At the initial examination the cumulative incidence of atopy/allergy was 32.6% and positive RAST was obtained in 40 children (18.1%). At the follow-up the incidence of atopic/allergic symptoms during the last 18 months was 25.8%. The current prevalence of allergy to pollen and danders, assessed by interview only, was 19% and 9% respectively while determined by both interview and positive SPT 15% and 5% respectively. The mean S-IgE (78 kU/l) of the children with current symptoms differed significantly (p less than 0.001) from that (19 kU/l) of the non-atopic ones. There was no relationship between S-IgE and the stage of puberty. Ten of the 11 children with positive RAST, but no atopy/allergy initially, developed clinical atopy/allergy during the follow-up.
In a representative cohort of 55 asthmatic schoolchildren the progress of the allergy per se was followed up prospectively for 8 years. Judged by clinical data, skin prick tests and RAST, a large majority of the children retained their allergies to pollen and animal danders. These allergens were predominant, whereas allergy to mites and moulds was less frequent. Serum IgE levels showed a strong tendency to remain high. Positive RAST and skin prick tests were also found in a substantial number of children with normal serum IgE concentrations.