Uniform specific IgE cutoff ‘arbitrary’
It’s time to determine sensitisation levels for individual aeroallergens in a large cohort, researchers say
There is no single cutoff for specific IgE that indicates clinically-relevant sensitisation to aeroallergens, researchers say.
The uniform cutoff of 0.35kUA/L indicating sensitisation, is based on the detection limit of early assays, write the study’s Danish authors in JAMA Pediatrics. The detection limit of newer assays is 0.1kUA/L.
The authors looked at the distribution of specific IgE levels to five common aeroallergens (house dust mites, cat, dog, grass and birch) in 835 six-year-old participants in the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood.
The median value for children with detectable levels was 0.14kUA/L for dust mites, 0.06kUA/L for cat, 0.07kUA/L for dog, 0.33kUA/L for grass and 0.20kUA/L for birch.
