Serum total IgE levels in a representative sample of a Greek population. I. Correlation with age, sex, and skin reactivity to common aeroallergens.

The distribution of IgE in a large randomly stratified Greek population sample was determined in 1187 subjects (793 men and 394 women) aged between 20 and 60 years. Skin prick testing was performed and serum total IgE expressed in iu/ml was measured by Phadebas PRIST: the data are presented as the geometric mean. Subjects were classified as atopic (257 men, 118 women) and nonatopic (536 men, 276 women) according to the results of skin testing with various aeroallergens. At any age, atopic males (120.5 vs 38 iu/ml) and females (99.8 vs 29.3 iu/ml) had higher mean IgE levels, as compared to nonatopic subjects (P < 0.0001). In our adult nonatopic sample, IgE levels did not differ with age (P > 0.05). At any age, nonatopic males had higher (38 iu/ml) mean IgE levels than nonatopic females (29.3 iu/ml) (P < 0.05). The comparison of normal IgE values (nonatopic subjects) from this study with those reported by other investigators revealed that Greek adult males and females had higher IgE levels than populations from other nations. Our results represent the first report on reference values regarding serum total IgE in Greek adults.