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Levels of Blood Marker for Allergies Higher in Children than Parents, Suggesting Real Rise in Allergy Rates: Presented at AAP

By Brian Reid

WASHINGTON, DC -- October 12, 2005 -- Children have much higher levels of specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies, a marker for allergy, than do their parents, according to researchers who say their findings suggest the increase in common household allergies does not reflect a boost in diagnoses due to increased awareness or testing for allergies.

According to the investigators, led by P. Brock Williams, PhD, Professor of Allergy and Immunology, Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Kansas, United States, the findings do not rely on subjective self reports of allergies, as many estimates of allergy have done. Instead they tested 677 parents and 804 of their children for the presence of IgE antibodies, as well as IgE antibodies for dust mites, cat dander and mold.

"We really haven't known if allergies are really increasing. It could have been that there's just better recognition," said Dr. Williams during a presentation here on October 9^th at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition. "We know that allergies are linked to IgE antibodies. If they're really increasing, we should look to see if there's an increase in IgE antibodies."

The researchers found there was a significantly higher level of IgE antibodies in children than in their parents. On average, the level of the antibodies in the group of progeny was 502 KU_a/L, more than 3 times the level seen in the parents, which averaged 146 KU_a/L.

Children were also more likely to show a strong antibody reaction to specific allergens. Over half of the children who were tested had a positive antibody reaction -- an IgE level higher than 350 KU_a/L -- for dust mites, as compared with 39% of the parent group. Likewise, the 37% of children tested reacted to cat dander, compared to 17% of their parents, and 20% of children and 7% of adults had antibodies to a common household mold.

Dr. Williams acknowledged that additional work needs to be done to determine why allergy rates have skyrocketed in the course of a single generation, and urged additional examination of outdoor pollution and indoor air quality. He also suggested the possibility that changes in hygiene, antibiotic and vaccine use might have spurred the increase in IgE antibodies.


[Presentation title: Specific IgE Measurements Verify that Allergies Are Increasing in Children.]

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