Background: Asthma is a chronic lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways. Asthma was considered an allergic disease and allergen specific IgE antibodies, mast cells, T helper 2 (Th2 cells) and their cytokines contribute to pathophysiology of atopic asthma. But nonatopic asthma is not associated with symptoms of allergy. The aim of this study was to determine total IgE level in both atopic asthma and nonatopic asthma and assess its relation to disease severity and assess the role of total IgE in diagnosis of atopic asthma.
Methods: This study was carried out on 55 subjects who classified into 5 groups: 11 mild atopic, 11 severe atopic, 11 mild nonatopic asthmatic, 11 severe nonatopic asthmatic, 11 healthy controls. The asthma patients were divided into atopic and nonatopic based on skin prick test. Asthma severity was determined by Forced Expiratory Volume (FEV1), then total IgE level was determined by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay(ELISA).
Results: There was statistically significant difference (p0.05) in total IgE level between atopic asthmatics, nonatopic asthmatics and healthy controls (p=0.64). There was also statistically insignificant difference (p>0.05) of total IgE level between mild atopic asthmatics and severe atopic asthmatics.
Conclusion: Total IgE levels plays a role in asthma regardless of type of asthma either atopic or nonatopic. Total IgE levels are not associated with asthma severity.
Key words; Asthma, total IgE level, atopic and nonatopic asthma.