Paradoxical increase of IgE binding components during allergen-specific immunotherapy in pollinosis patients.

Abstract

Allergen-specific immunotherapy (SIT) reduces allergen specific IgE (sIgE) levels

and achieves clinical and immunological tolerance by modulating innate and

adaptive immunological responses. Increased temperature and CO2 concentrations

caused by climate changes contribute to an increase of pollen count and

allergenicity that influences clinical SIT outcomes. In this study, we

investigated the changes of IgE binding components to tree and weed pollens in

pollinosis patients who showed a paradoxical increase of serum sIgE level during

pollen-SIT. We enrolled nine patients who showed an increasing pattern of serum

sIgE level to alder, birch, ragweed and mugwort pollens by enzyme-linked

immunosorbant assay. IgE immunoblot analysis confirmed the intensification or new

generation of major IgE binding components that could be induced by climate

change. The findings suggest that the regular monitoring of sIgE levels and

symptom changes is required to improve the clinical outcomes of SIT in patients

undergoing SIT for tree and weed pollens.