Distribution of IgE and IgG antibody levels against house dust mites in schoolchildren, and their relation with asthma

Although asthmatic patients are known to have increased levels of Ige antibody against house dust mite (HDM), it is not clear whether or not the presence of HDM-specific IgG antibody is associated with the etiological mechanism of asthma. To address this problem, we evaluated the relationship between HDM-specific IgG antibody levels and incidence of asthma in a general pediatric population. IgE and Ige antibody levels against Dermatophagoides farinae (Df) were examined by RAST and ELISA in a total of 722 randomly selected schoolchildren including 26 subjects with asthma, and the relative prevalence rates of asthma in this population were evaluated in relation to both Df-specific IgE and IgG levels. The incidence of asthma correlated not only with levels of Df-specific IgE, but also with those of Df-specific IgG. There was a significant correlation between Df-specific IgE and IgG levels both in the total population and in the asthmatic children. Because IgG and IgE responses occurred in parallel in this population, the clinical significance of HDM-specific IgG anti-body remains unclear. However, our findings have suggested that clinical expression of asthma in children is primarily dependent on their capacity to mount a immune response to HDM, which includes both IgE and IgG responses.