1993 年 105 巻 7-8 号 p. 759-770
To clarify the pathogenesis of asthma especially intractable asthma, we measured the serum levels of anti-IgE autoantibody in 46 asthmatics and 39 healthy subjects, using solid-phase enzyme immunoassay.
The serum levels of anti-IgE autoantibody in bronchial asthmatics were significantly higher than those in healthy subjects (p<0.01). The levels of anti-IgE autoantibody in 25 atopic asthmatics were also significantly higher than those in 19 non-atopic asthmatics (p<0.01). Futhermore, significant correlation was observed between the levels of anti-IgE autoantibody and serum IgE (r=0.576, p<0.01). House dust and Candida (p<0.01) specific IgE (RAST) positive asthmatics also tended to have higher serum levels of anti-IgE autoantibody. However, no significant relation was observed between the serum levels of anti-IgE autoantibody and the severity of asthma. Moreover, anti-IgE autoantibody was not significantly related to specific IgG subclass antibody or lymphocyte blastogenesis to mite and Candida, or with the numbers of eosinophils and basophils in peripheral blood.
These findings suggest that anti-IgE autoantibody play an important role in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma, especially atopic asthma associated with IgE-dependent mechanisms.