Relationship of eosinophil count and IgE with the severity of perennial allergic rhinitis in children

BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is induced by immunoglobulin E (IgE) mediated allergic reaction following allergen exposure to nasal mucosa and is associated with eosinophilic inflammation. Elevated levels of blood total eosinophil count, serum total IgE, and nasal eosinophil count are considered to be associated with AR, but the correlation between these allergic markers and the severity of AR symptoms remain controversial. This study aimed to elucidate these associations.

METHODS: Ninety-six children aged 3 to 17 years old were recruited, including 80 with perennial AR and 16 with non-AR as controls. Medical history was taken and physical examination, serum specific IgE, total IgE, peripheral blood eosinophil count, nasal smear were conducted. The nasal symptom score was calculated for each patient from a questionnaire and correlated with laboratory data. Bivariate correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were done to compare the correlation among clinical markers and symptom score.

RESULTS: Levels of all allergic markers in children with AR were significantly different from those in non-allergic children. All of the markers were related to the severity of AR in Pearson correlation analysis. On logistic regression analysis, only serum allergen-specific IgE were independent predictors.

CONCLUSION: These results suggest that serum allergen-specific IgE is correlated with the severity of perennial AR in children.