SPECIFIC IMMUNOGLOBULIN E IN THE IDENTIFICATION OF ALLERGENS IN ALLERGIC RHINITIS PATIENTS

Abstract

The study was conducted on a total of 65 subjects including allergic rhinitis patients and controls. Patients were subjected to careful history taking and physical examination, those receiving steroid therapy had been excluded. Subjects with urine and/or stool examination positive for parasites had been excluded from the study.

The study included 50 allergic rhinitis patients, 34 males and 16 females, their ages ranged from 9 to 65 years with a mean± SD of 30.2 ± 11.2 years. The control group included 15 apparently healthy individuals without a personal history of allergic diseases, 9 males and 6 females, their ages ranged from 10 to 62 years with a mean± SD of 33.1 ± 18.2 years.

For each participant, the following investigations were performed:

1. Complete blood picture with special emphasis on absolute blood eosinophilic count. 2. Detection of serum allergen specific lgE against a panel of20 allergens

presumed to be common in our locality. This was done using indirect ELISA after coating of the microtiter plates with the allergenic extracts (one microtiter plate for each allergen ).