2021 Volume 70 Issue 3 Pages 195-203
Background: We reported that post-emetic serum thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) levels may be a potential biomarker to diagnose solid food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES). However, there are no reports on the relationship between FPIES severity and serum TARC levels.
Methods: The subjects were 13 cases of FPIES (hen's egg=10, Wheat=1, rice=1, short-neck clam=1) for a total of 22 events (7 emergency outpatient visits, 9 positive and 6 negative results of oral food challenge test). Serum TARC levels at 6 and 24 h after antigen ingestion were compared between the symptomatic and asymptomatic events and the mild-moderate and severe events. We also evaluated the correlation between vomiting duration and serum TARC levels.
Results: The median serum TARC (pg/ml) in the asymptomatic, mild-moderate, and severe events were 546, 1093, and 3127 at 6 h after ingestion, and 910, 2053, and 6496 at 24 h after ingestion, respectively. The serum TARC level was significantly higher in the symptomatic events than the asymptomatic events, and it was significantly higher in the severe events than the mild-moderate events (p < 0.01). There was a moderate correlation between serum TARC levels and vomiting duration.
Conclusion: Post-emetic serum TARC correlates with the severity of FPIES. It is expected that this information will lead to an objective evaluation of the severity of FPIES.
