Rezwan, Tasmia et al. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: Global, Volume 0, Issue 0, 100452
Highlights Box
- What is already known about this topic?
Allergic asthma is associated with elevated IgE levels and significant asthma morbidity despite aggressive treatment.
- What does this article add to our knowledge?
This study demonstrates a correlation between elevated baseline IgE levels and PICU admission.
- How does this study impact current management guidelines?
Children with asthma and high IgE levels are at risk for severe symptomology and may benefit from early specialist referral and IgE targeted therapy.
Abstract:
Background
Status asthmaticus is a common reason for hospitalization and pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission among children. While previous studies have demonstrated a correlation between elevated immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels and asthma severity in outpatient settings, studies analyzing IgE levels in an inpatient cohort are limited.
Objective
To examine the relationship between baseline IgE levels and symptom severity, maximum respiratory support, PICU and hospital length of stay in an inpatient pediatric cohort.
Methods
This is a single center retrospective chart review of children admitted to the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore with status asthmaticus as their primary diagnosis. The primary goal was to determine the relationship between baseline IgE levels and severity of illness at time of admission. Secondary outcomes included maximum respiratory support, PICU and hospital length of stay.
Results
We identified a statistically significant difference (p=0.043) in baseline IgE levels between the PICU (median 608 U/ml) and floor groups (405 IU/ml). There was a positive correlation between IgE level and PICU length of stay (p = 0.004).
Conclusion
Elevated baseline IgE level is correlated with higher asthma symptom severity when hospitalized and with longer PICU length of stay. Our study adds to the growing body of evidence that those with high baseline IgE levels are at risk of having severe asthma symptomology.