Brief Article
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World J Gastroenterol. Nov 7, 2010; 16(41): 5241-5246
Published online Nov 7, 2010. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v16.i41.5241
Clinical analysis of high serum IgE in autoimmune pancreatitis
Kenji Hirano, Minoru Tada, Hiroyuki Isayama, Kazumichi Kawakubo, Hiroshi Yagioka, Takashi Sasaki, Hirofumi Kogure, Yousuke Nakai, Naoki Sasahira, Takeshi Tsujino, Nobuo Toda, Kazuhiko Koike
Kenji Hirano, Minoru Tada, Hiroyuki Isayama, Kazumichi Kawakubo, Takashi Sasaki, Hirofumi Kogure, Yousuke Nakai, Naoki Sasahira, Takeshi Tsujino, Kazuhiko Koike, Department of Gastroenterology, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan
Hiroshi Yagioka, Department of Gastroenterology, JR Tokyo General Hospital, Tokyo 151-8528, Japan
Nobuo Toda, Department of Gastroenterology, Mitsui Memorial Hospital, Tokyo 101-8643, Japan
Author contributions: Hirano K designed the study, collected, analyzed and interpreted the data, and drafted the manuscript; Tada M collected the data and critically revised the manuscript for important intellectual content; Isayama H, Kawakubo K, Yagioka H, Sasaki T, Kogure H, Nakai Y, Sasahira N, Tsujino T and Toda N collected the data; Koike K supervised the study.
Correspondence to: Kenji Hirano, MD, PhD, Department of Gastroenterology, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan. khirano-tky@umin.ac.jp
Telephone: +81-3-38155411 Fax: +81-3-38140021
Received: April 19, 2010
Revised: June 30, 2010
Accepted: July 7, 2010
Published online: November 7, 2010
Abstract

AIM: To clarify the clinical significance of high serum IgE in autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP).

METHODS: Forty-two AIP patients, whose IgE was measured before steroid treatment, were analyzed. To evaluate the relationship between IgE levels and the disease activity of AIP, we examined (1) Frequency of high IgE (> 170 IU/mL) and concomitant allergic diseases requiring treatment; (2) Correlations between IgG, IgG4, and IgE; (3) Relationship between the presence of extrapancreatic lesions and IgE; (4) Relationship between clinical relapse and IgE in patients treated with steroids, and (5) Transition of IgE before and after steroid treatment.

RESULTS: IgE was elevated in 36/42 (86%) patients. Concomitant allergic disease was observed in seven patients (allergic rhinitis in three, bronchial asthma in three, and urticaria in one). There were no significant correlations between IgG, IgG4, and IgE (r = -0.168 for IgG, and r = -0.188 for IgG4). There was no significant difference in IgE in the patients with and without extrapancreatic lesions (526 ± 531 IU/mL vs 819 ± 768 IU/mL, P = 0.163), with and without clinical relapse (457 ± 346 IU/mL vs 784 ± 786 IU/mL, P = 0.374). There was no significant difference in IgE between before and after steroid treatment (723 ± 744 IU/mL vs 673 ± 660 IU/mL, P = 0.633).

CONCLUSION: Although IgE does not necessarily reflect the disease activity, IgE might be useful for the diagnosis of AIP in an inactive stage.

Keywords: IgE, IgG4, IgG, Autoimmune pancreatitis