Atopy in inflammatory bowel disease.

Thirty-nine patients with ulcerative colitis and 35 with Crohn's disease have been investigated for evidence of reaginic hypersensitivity and compared with control subjects. There was no difference in the frequency of a personal or family history of atopy or in serum IgE levels. Similarly, no overall difference was noted in prick test responses to 21 allergens. However, further analysis of prick test responses showed that patients with inflammatory bowel disease responded more frequently to food allergens. This was highly significant when compared with healthy controls (p less than 0.001). The relevance of this finding to the aetiology of inflammatory bowel disease is discussed.