Raised serum IgE levels in chronic inflammatory lung diseases.

OBJECTIVE

To study the serum IgE response in nonallergic subjects with chronic inflammatory lung diseases.

SETTING

Christian Medical College Hospital, Vellore.

SUBJECTS

Twenty six patients with bronchiectasis, five with pulmonary mycosis referred from all over India and 30 healthy subjects.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Serum IgE value (determined by radioimmuno assay) above the upper limit of normal control range (136 to 948 iu/ml) was considered as raised level.

RESULTS

Of the 26 patients with bronchiectasis 13 had pyogenic infections, six had pulmonary tuberculosis; in six patients sputum culture was sterile while another patient had herpes zoster. Five cases of mycosis included one each of actinomycosis, aspergillosis, blastomycosis, cryptococcosis and nocardiasis. The serum IgE levels were raised in 20 (65%) of the 31 patients.

CONCLUSION

Associated bacterial, fungal and parasitic infections were probably responsible for inducing an hyper-IgE response in these non-allergic subjects.