Department of Ophthalmology, Tokyo Women's Medical University Medical Center East, Tokyo, Japan.
Curr Eye Res. 2013 Sep;38(9):917-25. doi: 10.3109/02713683.2013.794248. Epub 2013 May 28.
The level of specific class E immunoglobulins (IgE) in tear fluid is a useful diagnostic indicator for allergic conjunctivitis, but it is still unclear whether the measurement of tear fluid IgE is helpful for assessing the severity of allergic conjunctivitis. In this study, we evaluated the relation between tear fluid levels of specific IgE and features of allergic conjunctivitis.
A prospective, nonrandomized, cross-sectional study was conducted in patients with allergic conjunctivitis (n = 55, allergic group) and age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects (n = 50, control group). Levels of specific IgE for cedar pollen, cat epithelium/dander and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus were measured in tear fluid with the Immfast Check J1®. A severity score (0, 1, 2 or 3) was assigned for various changes of the palpebral and bulbar conjunctiva, as well as for limbal and corneal lesions.
The levels of specific IgE for both cedar pollen, and D. pteronyssinus were significantly higher in the allergic group compared with the control group (p < 0.0001), while the level of specific IgE for cat epithelium/dander showed no significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.0777). When IgE levels were divided into four classes, the classes for both D. Pteronyssinus and cat epithelium/dander IgE were correlated with four features of allergic conjunctivitis. On the other hand, no correlation was found between the class of cedar pollen IgE and any of the features of allergic conjunctivitis.
This study demonstrated that measurement of specific IgE in tear fluid may be useful for determining the severity of allergic conjunctivitis induced by indoor allergens. Although measurement of IgE in tear fluid is only a supplemental tool for evaluating the clinical activity of allergic conjunctivitis, the test can be useful for detecting specific IgE antibodies responsible for this condition.
泪液中特定 E 类免疫球蛋白 (IgE) 的水平是过敏性结膜炎的一种有用的诊断指标，但目前尚不清楚测量泪液 IgE 是否有助于评估过敏性结膜炎的严重程度。在这项研究中，我们评估了过敏性结膜炎患者泪液中特异性 IgE 水平与过敏性结膜炎特征之间的关系。
进行了一项前瞻性、非随机、横断面研究，纳入了 55 例过敏性结膜炎患者（过敏组）和年龄、性别匹配的 50 例健康对照受试者（对照组）。使用 Immfast Check J1® 测量泪液中对雪松花粉、猫上皮/皮屑和屋尘螨的特异性 IgE。根据睑结膜和球结膜的各种变化，以及角膜缘和角膜病变，为每位患者分配一个严重程度评分（0、1、2 或 3）。
与对照组相比，过敏组中对雪松花粉和屋尘螨的特异性 IgE 水平明显更高（p<0.0001），而两组之间猫上皮/皮屑的特异性 IgE 水平无显著差异（p=0.0777）。当 IgE 水平分为四个等级时，对 D. Pteronyssinus 和猫上皮/皮屑 IgE 的分级与过敏性结膜炎的四个特征相关。另一方面，对雪松花粉 IgE 的分级与过敏性结膜炎的任何特征均无相关性。
本研究表明，测量泪液中的特异性 IgE 可能有助于确定由室内过敏原引起的过敏性结膜炎的严重程度。尽管测量泪液中的 IgE 只是评估过敏性结膜炎临床活动的一种补充工具，但该检测方法可用于检测导致这种情况的特异性 IgE 抗体。
