Cut-off values for total serum immunoglobulin E between non-atopic and atopic children in north-west Croatia
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Slavica Dodig
Abstract
Background: The aim of this study was to determine cut-off values for total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) between non-atopic and atopic children with respiratory symptoms. Children of 0–16years of age were evaluated for respiratory symptoms of >4-week duration.
Methods: Children were divided into two groups: non-atopic children (n=3355) who were non-IgE-sensitized with undetectable allergen-specific IgE (<0.35kIUA/L), and atopic children (n=4620) who were sensitized to ≥1 allergens (specific IgE ≥0.35 kIUA/L). Upper and lower centiles were determined and cut-off values calculated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.
Results: Serum total IgE increased with age in both groups, although at a variable level and rate, and reached a plateau at 9 and 10years in non-atopic and atopic children, respectively. Atopic children had on average 14-fold higher serum total IgE compared to non-atopic children. In both groups, the median was lower than the corresponding mean and the distribution skewness was always positive (group I, 0.87; group II, 0.91). In almost all age groups, the 95th percentile for non-atopic children corresponded to the calculated cut-off values, whereas the 10th percentile for atopic children corresponded to the respective cut-off values only until the age of 8years, after which greater differences between the cut-off values and the 10th percentile were recorded. Cut-off values for total serum IgE in children up to 16years were determined with diagnostic sensitivity, specificity and area under the ROC curve of 96%, 91% and 0.950, respectively.
Conclusions: The 95th percentile for total IgE in non-atopic children and the 10th percentile in atopic children could be taken as cut-off values in children up to 8years of age, after which significant percentile discrepancies between non-atopic and atopic children were recorded. Since atopic subjects show a more irregular centile distribution, cut-off values are best determined by ROC analysis.
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©2006 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin New York
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Articles in the same Issue
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- Immunochemical quantification of free immunoglobulin light chains from an analytical perspective
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- Molecular detection of squamous cell carcinoma antigen transcripts in peripheral blood of cancer patients
- Influence of human haptoglobin polymorphism on oxidative stress induced by free hemoglobin on red blood cells
- Real-time RT-PCR quantification of PRAME gene expression for monitoring minimal residual disease in acute myeloblastic leukaemia
- Association of high-sensitive C-reactive protein with advanced stage β-cell dysfunction and insulin resistance in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
- A longitudinal evaluation of urinary glycosaminoglycan excretion in normoalbuminuric type 1 diabetic patients
- National survey on the execution of the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in a representative cohort of Italian laboratories
- The reduction of cholesteryl linoleate in lipoproteins: an index of clinical severity in β-thalassemia/Hb E
- Alterations in serum glycosaminoglycan profiles in Graves' patients
- Alterations in anti-oxidative defence enzymes in erythrocytes from sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (SALS) and familial ALS patients
- Sandwich ELISAs for soluble immunoglobulin superfamily receptor translocation-associated 2 (IRTA2)/FcRH5 (CD307) proteins in human sera
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- Insufficient filling of vacuum tubes as a cause of microhemolysis and elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase levels. Use of a data-mining technique in evaluation of questionable laboratory test results
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