Burney P, Malmberg E, Chinn S, Jarvis D, Luczynska C, Lai E
Department of Public Health Medicine, United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St. Thomas's Hospitals, London, UK.
J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1997 Mar;99(3):314-22. doi: 10.1016/s0091-6749(97)70048-4.
Variations in the prevalence of atopy could provide important clues to the etiology of atopy and asthma. Although estimates of prevalence are available from different studies, a lack of standardization makes comparisons difficult.
This study was conducted to estimate the variation of geometric mean levels of serum IgE and the prevalence of specific IgE to common allergens between populations as part of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS), a multicenter survey of asthma and risk factors for asthma.
Random samples of subjects living in 37 centers in 16 countries who had answered a questionnaire about their respiratory symptoms were invited for further assessment including total serum IgE and the presence of specific IgE against house dust mite (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus), timothy grass, cat, Cladosporium herbarum, and a local allergen. Sera were tested from 13,883 persons.
The estimated prevalence of atopy, defined as the presence of at least one positive specific IgE, ranged from 16% in Albacete (Spain) to 45% in Christchurch (New Zealand). The geometric mean total serum IgE varied from 13 kU/L in Reykjavik (Iceland) to 62 kU/L in Bordeaux (France). There was no relation between the geometric mean total serum IgE in a center and the prevalence of atopy.
There are substantial variations in the prevalence of atopy and the level of serum IgE. These variations are independent of each other and likely to be largely environmental in origin.
特应性疾病患病率的差异可为特应性疾病和哮喘的病因提供重要线索。尽管不同研究提供了患病率的估计值，但缺乏标准化使得比较变得困难。
作为欧洲共同体呼吸健康调查（ECRHS）的一部分，本研究旨在估计不同人群之间血清IgE几何平均水平的变化以及对常见变应原特异性IgE的患病率，ECRHS是一项关于哮喘及哮喘危险因素的多中心调查。
邀请居住在16个国家37个中心且回答了有关呼吸道症状问卷的受试者随机样本进行进一步评估，包括总血清IgE以及针对屋尘螨（粉尘螨）、梯牧草、猫、枝孢菌和一种当地变应原的特异性IgE的检测。对13883人的血清进行了检测。
特应性疾病（定义为至少一种特异性IgE阳性）的估计患病率范围为西班牙阿尔瓦塞特的16%至新西兰克赖斯特彻奇的45%。血清总IgE几何平均值从冰岛雷克雅未克的13 kU/L到法国波尔多的62 kU/L不等。一个中心的血清总IgE几何平均值与特应性疾病患病率之间没有关联。
特应性疾病患病率和血清IgE水平存在显著差异。这些差异相互独立，且很可能主要源于环境因素。
