The Age Impact on Serum Total and Allergen-Specific IgE

ABSTRACT

Aging is accompanied by a progressive decline in almost all functions of the immune system. To investigate a possible impact of age on IgE production, this study evaluated total and allergen-specific serum IgE levels in a large cohort of allergic patients. This study included 6,370 allergic patients (2,961 females, 3,409 males; mean age, 21.7 years; age range, 0-96 years). Total and allergen-specific serum IgE levels were measured by immunoenzymatic assay. The analysis of variance showed a significant difference (P<0.0001) in the mean value of total IgE among the different age groups of patients. Moreover, specific IgE levels for all allergens examined differed significantly among the age groups of patients (P<0.0001), with a specific trend pattern for each allergen. Total IgE increased with age, but allergen-specific IgE levels significantly decreased with age, with a trend specific for each allergen tested.