Immunoglobulin E in renal disease.

Samples of renal tissue from 373 patients were examined for the presence of immunoglobulin E (IgE) by immunofluorescent techniques. Only trace to ++ amounts ( on a scale of ++++) were found in 20 patients: 4/9 with post-streptococcal acute glomerulonephritis (GN), 5/30 with GN associated with systemic lupus erythematosus, 3/20 with membranous GN, 1/4 with Goodpasture's syndrome, 2/18 with recurrent microhematuria and focal GN, 1/5 with hemolytic anemia and uremia, 3/73 with renal homografts, and 1/5 with dermatomyositis. No IgE was found in 18 patients with lipoid nephrosis, 8 of whom were being treated with prednisone, nor in 5 patients with focal glomerular sclerosis and the nephrotic syndrome. Serum IgE was measured in 9 of the 20 patients with glomerular deposits of this globulin. With one exception, levels of IgE were within the range generally considered to be normal. However, they were greater than the mean of this range in all but two and near the highest limits of normal in most. Neither the amounts of serum IgE nor the degree of proteinuria could be related to the intensity of stain for IgE in the glomeruli of these patients.