Laboratorial characteristics of patients with diarrhoea suffering from egg white allergy

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Egg allergy is associated with diarrhoeal symptoms. However, the mechanism underlying allergic diarrhoea remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether egg white-specific IgE antibodies coexist with egg white-specific IgG antibodies in patients with egg allergy featuring diarrhoeal symptoms, and whether there is any relationship between these two antibody types. METHODS: A total of 89 patients with egg allergy featuring diarrhoeal symptoms (average age, 23.2 years; range, 1-78 years), all of whom tested positive for egg white-specific IgG, were enrolled in this study. The concentration of total IgE, egg white-specific IgE and number of eosinophils in the serum were determined. RESULTS: Among the 89 egg white allergic patients tested, 49 (55.1%) patients showed high reactivity to egg white-specific IgG, 48 (53.9%) patients had elevated serum total IgE levels, and 25 (28.1%) patients had elevated absolute eosinophil numbers. Out of the 89 egg white allergic patients, 25 showed elevated egg white-specific IgE antibody levels. Of the 25 patients who were positive for egg white-specific IgE antibody, 21 presented high sensitive reaction to egg white-specific IgG, three presented moderate sensitive reaction to egg white-specific IgG, and one presented mild sensitive reaction to egg white-specific IgG. A moderate correlation between egg white-specific IgG and egg white-specific IgE, egg white-specific IgG and absolute eosinophil number was found in the egg white allergic patients (r = 0.438, P = 0.000; r = 0.322, P = 0.002). Egg white-specific IgE levels varied in different age groups; the egg white-specific IgE concentration of younger patients (age ≤ 18 years, mean rank 54.29) was significantly higher than that of the adult patients (age > 18 years, mean rank 34.61) (Z = −3.629, P = 0.000). CONCLUSION: Egg white-specific IgE antibody could coexist with egg white-specific IgG antibody in patients suffering from egg white allergy. Aberrant changes in the concentration of egg white-specific IgE antibody were associated with the presence of egg white-specific IgG antibody

RESUMEN

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