Total and specific IgE in the sera of patients with asthma, urticaria, or allergic rhinitis from the Southeast Anatolia region of Turkey

Abstract

Background: Total IgE (tIgE) and specific IgE (sIgE) levels are important in the diagnosis of allergic disease. The authors investigated whether test panels designed to test common allergens worldwide were favorable as scanning tests to show the consistency of tIgE and sIgE with symptoms in patients with asthma, allergic rhinitis, and urticaria. Methods: Total IgE and sIgE against some allergen groups were investigated in the sera of 175 patients diagnosed with allergic diseases. Results: Total IgE was positive for 107 of 175 sera and was negative for 68 of them. The strongest correlation of tIgE and symptoms was determined for urticaria. Conclusion: The tIgE test may be used as a screening test for adults with urticaria; however, it is not useful to test for other allergic diseases.