TY - JOUR
T1 - A genetic-epidemiologic study of human immune responsiveness to allergens in an industrial population II. The associations among skin sensitivity, total serum IgE, age, sex, and the reporting of allergies in a stratified random sample
AU - Freidhoff, Linda R.
AU - Meyers, Deborah A.
AU - Marsh, David G.
N1 - Funding Information:
From the Division of Clinical Immunology, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine at The Good Samaritan Hospital, Baltimore, Md. Supported by National Institutes of Health Program Project grant AI-20059. Publication No. 539 from the O’Neill Research Lab-oratories, The Good Samaritan Hospital, Baltimore, Md. Received for publication Jan. 25, 1983. Accepted for publication Nov. 2, 1983.
PY - 1984/4
Y1 - 1984/4
N2 - We have quantitated puncture skin test responses to six standardized, high-quality, inhalant allergen extracts and histamine in 320 adults-a stratified random sample, equally distributed between the sexes and among all decades between 20 and 60 yr. Both the sensitivity of each subject toward histamine and his "average" IgE-mediated skin sensitivity to the entire panel of allergens (Allergy Index) were calculated. Allergy Index and Log [total serum IgE] values were weakly, but significantly, correlated (r = 0.453t p < 0.001). Although both sexes reported similar prevalence rates of "allergy," we found that skin test positivity, Allergy Index, Histamine Index, and log [total serum IgE] were significantly higher ( p ≤ 0.004) for the total population of male adults versus female adults. Skin test positivity, the Allergy Index, and log [total serum IgE] values demonstrated a tendency to decrease between 20 and 60 yr of age. Furthermore, log, age, and sex, respectively, were important predictors of the allergic state (Allergy Index) of an individual. Lastly, in various subgroups of our population, we found only weak correlations between the subjects' perceptions of their allergic status and both the Allergy Index and log [total serum IgE].
AB - We have quantitated puncture skin test responses to six standardized, high-quality, inhalant allergen extracts and histamine in 320 adults-a stratified random sample, equally distributed between the sexes and among all decades between 20 and 60 yr. Both the sensitivity of each subject toward histamine and his "average" IgE-mediated skin sensitivity to the entire panel of allergens (Allergy Index) were calculated. Allergy Index and Log [total serum IgE] values were weakly, but significantly, correlated (r = 0.453t p < 0.001). Although both sexes reported similar prevalence rates of "allergy," we found that skin test positivity, Allergy Index, Histamine Index, and log [total serum IgE] were significantly higher ( p ≤ 0.004) for the total population of male adults versus female adults. Skin test positivity, the Allergy Index, and log [total serum IgE] values demonstrated a tendency to decrease between 20 and 60 yr of age. Furthermore, log, age, and sex, respectively, were important predictors of the allergic state (Allergy Index) of an individual. Lastly, in various subgroups of our population, we found only weak correlations between the subjects' perceptions of their allergic status and both the Allergy Index and log [total serum IgE].
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U2 - 10.1016/0091-6749(84)90360-9
DO - 10.1016/0091-6749(84)90360-9
M3 - Article
C2 - 6707392
AN - SCOPUS:0021242790
VL - 73
SP - 490
EP - 499
JO - Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
JF - Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
SN - 0091-6749
IS - 4
ER -