Background: The association between undetectable serum total IgE level and chronic upper and lower respiratory tract inflammatory diseases is uncertain. We sought to determine whether chronic sinopulmonary inflammatory diseases are present in adult patients with undetectable serum total IgE who reside in inner-city Chicago, IL, USA.
Methods: Medical records of patients aged ≥18 years with reported serum total IgE levels <2 and ≥2,000 kU/L who were diagnosed with rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis, asthma, and COPD at the University of Illinois Medical Center and Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL, between 2005 and 2009 were reviewed.
Results: Seventeen patients with serum total IgE <2 kU/L and 17 patients with serum total IgE ≥2,000 kU/L, were identified. Ten of 17 patients (59%) with serum total IgE <2 kU/L were diagnosed with chronic sinopulmonary inflammatory diseases, three with chronic rhinosinusitis, four with asthma, one with asthma/COPD, and two with COPD. Twelve of 17 patients (71%) with serum total IgE ≥2,000 kU/L were diagnosed with chronic sinopulmonary inflammatory diseases, three with allergic rhinitis, four with asthma, four with asthma/COPD, and one with COPD. None of the patients reported recurrent sinopulmonary infections. The difference in the number of patients with chronic sinopulmonary inflammatory diseases between both groups was not statistically significant (p = 0.48).
Conclusions: Chronic rhinosinusitis and asthma are present in adult patients with undetectable serum total IgE who reside in inner-city Chicago. Whether this represents a biomarker of distinct chronic rhinosinusitis and asthma phenotypes in this population remains to be determined.