BACKGROUND: Total and specific serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) are routinely used as diagnostic tools in allergy clinics. Several studies have demonstrated an increase of total serum IgE concentrations in alcoholics, but the possible influence of lower quantities of ethanol intake on serum IgE values has not been fully evaluated. This study was aimed at analyzing the influence of alcohol intake on both total and specific serum IgE concentrations in patients studied in an allergy clinic. METHODS: A total of 460 patients were included in the study. According to skin-prick tests to common aeroallergens, 325 were classified as atopics and 135 as nonatopics. Most atopic patients (253; 78%) were allergic to mites. Alcohol consumption was recorded as the number of standard (10-g) drinking units regularly consumed per week. Two hundred subjects (43%) were abstainers, and 260 (57%) were regular consumers of a median of 30 g of alcohol per week. Total serum IgE was measured in all patients by latex-enhanced nephelometry. Serum-specific IgE was assayed by fluoroenzymeimmunoassay. RESULTS: Total serum IgE increased along with ethanol consumption. On multivariate analysis, regular alcohol consumption greater than 70 g per week was associated with increased total serum IgE levels, even when adjusting for age, sex, atopy, and smoking. Among house-dust mite-allergic patients, specific serum IgE values against the house dust mite Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus were higher in regular alcohol consumers than in abstainers. This difference was not observed among patients allergic to grass pollen (Lolium perenne). CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol consumption, even in moderate quantities, is associated with increased total and specific IgE concentrations in subjects studied in an allergy clinic. Alcohol intake should be taken into account in epidemiological studies of total serum IgE levels.
BACKGROUND: Total and specific serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) are routinely used as diagnostic tools in allergy clinics. Several studies have demonstrated an increase of total serum IgE concentrations in alcoholics, but the possible influence of lower quantities of ethanol intake on serum IgE values has not been fully evaluated. This study was aimed at analyzing the influence of alcohol intake on both total and specific serum IgE concentrations in patients studied in an allergy clinic. METHODS: A total of 460 patients were included in the study. According to skin-prick tests to common aeroallergens, 325 were classified as atopics and 135 as nonatopics. Most atopic patients (253; 78%) were allergic to mites. Alcohol consumption was recorded as the number of standard (10-g) drinking units regularly consumed per week. Two hundred subjects (43%) were abstainers, and 260 (57%) were regular consumers of a median of 30 g of alcohol per week. Total serum IgE was measured in all patients by latex-enhanced nephelometry. Serum-specific IgE was assayed by fluoroenzymeimmunoassay. RESULTS: Total serum IgE increased along with ethanol consumption. On multivariate analysis, regular alcohol consumption greater than 70 g per week was associated with increased total serum IgE levels, even when adjusting for age, sex, atopy, and smoking. Among house-dust mite-allergicpatients, specific serum IgE values against the house dust mite Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus were higher in regular alcohol consumers than in abstainers. This difference was not observed among patientsallergic to grass pollen (Lolium perenne). CONCLUSIONS:Alcohol consumption, even in moderate quantities, is associated with increased total and specific IgE concentrations in subjects studied in an allergy clinic. Alcohol intake should be taken into account in epidemiological studies of total serum IgE levels.
Authors: Tea Skaaby; Tuomas O Kilpeläinen; Amy E Taylor; Yuvaraj Mahendran; Andrew Wong; Tarunveer S Ahluwalia; Lavinia Paternoster; Stella Trompet; David J Stott; Claudia Flexeder; Ang Zhou; Guy Brusselle; Ayesha Sajjad; Lies Lahousse; Henning Tiemeier; Christian Theil Have; Betina H Thuesen; Line Lund Kårhus; Line Tang Møllehave; Katja Biering Leth-Møller; Daniel Mønsted Shabanzadeh; Arturo Gonzalez-Quintela; Chris Power; Elina Hyppönen; Diana Kuh; Rebecca Hardy; Thomas Meitinger; J Wouter Jukema; Uwe Völker; Matthias Nauck; Henry Völzke; Nele Friedrich; Tobias N Bonten; Raymond Noordam; Dennis O Mook-Kanamori; Janne S Tolstrup; Christian Taube; Annette Peters; Harald Grallert; Konstantin Strauch; Holger Schulz; Niels Grarup; Torben Hansen; Oluf Pedersen; Stephen Burgess; Marcus R Munafò; Allan Linneberg Journal: Addiction Date: 2018-10-30 Impact factor: 7.256