ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Cord blood IgE levels have been studied as a possible marker of allergy in infants but few studies are available in our Region. The aim of this paper was to test IgE levels in cord blood of 60 consecutive newborns in a restricted area of Veneto, to correlate cord blood IgE levels with family history of allergy and to verify the risk of contamination from mother's blood. METHODS: Cord blood was obtained from 60 consecutive newborns. Immunoglobulin levels (IgG, IgA, IgM, and IgE) were measured in cord blood of newborns and in serum of all mothers. Family history for allergy was previously investigated from the mothers. RESULTS: IgE were detectable in cord blood of 5 newborns but only 2 of them had positive family history for allergy which was pointed out in 11/60. In one of these cases the contamination of sample from mother's blood was postulated. IgG levels in newborn cord blood were higher than in mothers' blood and it was not related with IgE levels or other investigated factors. CONCLUSIONS: Only 6.6% of newborns in a restricted area of Veneto region have detectable IgE in cord blood whereas 18.3% of them have positive family history for allergy. Measurable levels of IgE in cord blood are not related with positive family history of allergy and are rarely influenced by mothers' blood contamination.