Potential value of serum total IgE for differentiation between autoimmune pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer

Abstract

Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is associated with a marked elevation of serum total IgG4. Although there is evidence of autoimmunity in AIP, there are also signs of an allergic nature of its pathogenesis. Therefore, we determined both IgE and IgG4 in 13 patients with AIP, in 12 patients with pancreatic carcinoma and in 14 patients with atopic allergy and investigated the relationship between IgE and IgG4. Total IgG4 was determined by automated nephelometry and total IgE by automated enzyme fluoroimmunoassay. Both total IgE and total IgG4 levels in patients with AIP were significantly higher than those in patients with pancreatic carcinoma (P -= -0.0004 and P -= -0.015, respectively). There was a significant correlation between the total IgE and total IgG4 levels in patients with AIP and patients with atopic allergy (rs -= -0.82,P -= -0.0006 and rs -= -0.88,P -