Prediction of the development of atopic symptoms in early childhood by cord IgE-binding factors (soluble Fc epsilon R2).

The relationship of cord serum sFc epsilon R2 levels to the development of atopic symptoms in early childhood was studied. Cord sFc epsilon R2 was 444.2 +/- 235.1 pg/ml (n = 77), which was not significantly different from maternal serum sFc epsilon R2 (541.7 +/- 346.9 pg/ml, n = 42). However, there was no correlation between cord and maternal serum sFc epsilon R2, suggesting that most, if not all, of cord serum sFc epsilon R2 was produced by the fetus itself. Cord serum sFc epsilon R2 in infants who developed atopic symptoms later was significantly higher than that in infants who were free of atopic symptoms (P less than 0.01 at 7 and 13 months of age). The incidence of the development of atopic symptoms increased with the increase of cord serum sFc epsilon R2. These results suggest that sFc epsilon R2 is related to the development of atopic disorders and that the measurement of cord serum sFc epsilon R2 may be of value in predicting the development of atopic disorders in early childhood.