Levels of house dust mite-specific IgE and cockroach-specific IgE and their association with lower pulmonary function in Taiwanese children

Objective: Sensitization to an aeroallergen is known to diminish pulmonary function in young children and adults; however, it remains unclear whether it produces similar effects in adolescents. This study, therefore, examined the relationship between serum allergen-specific IgE levels and pulmonary function in adolescents. Design: Middle-school children were invited for a physician's evaluation and pulmonary function test when not experiencing an asthma attack and for the determination of serum levels of specific IgE to common allergens. Setting: National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Taiwan. Subjects: Middle-school children in southern Taiwan, who had completed both a nationally administered Chineseversion of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire and a pulmonary function test in October 1996. Results: Forty-two then currently asthmatic children, 38 children with asthma in remission (no reported attack for > 12 months), and 69 children without asthma completed the study. Children with asthma had a significantly lower adjusted forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of FVC (FEF_25-75%) and FEV₁/FVC than children without asthma. A greater percentage of children with asthma were more sensitized to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus(Der p), Dermatophagoides farinae (Der f), and German cockroach but not cat dander or dog dander. Children with asthma with Der f-specific IgE > 100 IU/mL, or cockroach-specific IgE > 0.7 IU/mL showed lower pulmonary function. No such association was found in children without asthma. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that sensitization to Der f and German cockroach was a critical factor for the lower pulmonary function observed in middle-school children with asthma.