Acute rise in serum immunoglobulin E concentration in pulmonary thromboembolism.

Events mediated by immunoglobulin E (IgE) may be related to platelet activation and aggregation, and there may be an association between IgE and pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE). Fourteen patients with PTE were studied with regard to serum concentrations of IgE, IgA, IgG, IgM, fibrinogen, and D-dimer and with regard to blood neutrophil, lymphocyte, platelet, and eosinophil counts during acute and recovery phases. The serum IgE concentration increased during the acute phase to 402 +/- 310 IU/ml and decreased afterwards in all patients. The increase in serum IgE concentration lagged a few days behind that of the serum D-dimer concentration, indicating later IgE production than thrombus formation and lysis. Infarction and pleural fluid accumulation developed in patients with a high initial serum IgE concentration. These results indicated a relationship between serum IgE concentration and the pathophysiology of PTE. Serum IgE may be an indicator of the severity of PTE and provide insight into its pathogenesis, thereby facilitating the diagnosis of PTE.