Total serum IgE and IgE antibodies specific to house dust mite found in two aged-matched cohorts of children with and without otitis media with effusion

Objectives: To determine whether otitis media with effusion (OME) is associated with elevated serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) and IgE specific for house dust mite. Design: Forty-seven children who had evidence of bilateral OME, both otoscopically and on tympanometry, on two separate occasions, 3 months apart were admitted for ventilation tubes. Forty-eight children admitted for minor eye surgery who had otoscopically normal ears and no history of middle ear problems were used as controls. Bloods samples were taken under anaesthesia. Total IgE and IgE radioallergosorbent test (RAST) to house dust mite was measured by the Pharmacia Unicap 100 system. The results from the two groups were compared. Setting: Birmingham Children's Hospital. Paraticipants: Children between the ages of 3 and 10. Children with Down's syndrome, cleft lip and palate, ciliary abnormalities, known immunodeficiencies and cardiac abnormalities were excluded. Main outcome measures: Total IgE and RAST to house dust mite. A RAST of > 0.35 was taken to be positive. Results: There was no statistical difference between the control and study groups for the total IgE. Six children from both study and control groups had a raised house dust mite RAST. There was no difference in the levels between either group. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that there is no direct relationship between OME and biochemical evidence of allergy, specifically to house dust mite.