High Levels of IgE in Rheumatoid Patients as well as Allergic Patients

[Guest guest]

I was reading an article published back in Jan. 1999 that said that

rheumatoid arthritis patients, despite having elevated IgE levels,

are less likely to have allergic disease. The Journal of

Translational Immunology

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1905175

This seemed rather confounding and I must admit I don't fully

understand the article. The article states that IgE antibodies have

been detected in patients with atopic dermatitis, rhinitis, asthma

and hay fever (we on this board already know that !!!!) and in vitro

analysis showed that these natural anti-IgE antibodies are able to up-

or down and regulate the effects and the synthesis of IgE. So is

our allergic asthma problem that we cannot process IgE properly?

Ok, those of us with elevated IgE - do we have antibodies against

IgE? Or does Xolair create an antibody to IgE? I know that Xolair

somehow stops the allergic effect but I'm confused.

They mention complexed anti-IgE - what is that? Does it affect us?

The article further states: " Compared with the allergic group, sera

of RA patients showed an increased specific IgE titre against one

allergen (Alternaria) but not against nine other frequently

encountered allergens. " Is Alternaria a fungus or what? Those of us

with allergic asthma react to different substances. Some on Xolair

seem to experience improvement in arthritis and some do not. Could

that be due to allergy to Alternaria?

Then ... " Furthermore IgE–anti-IgE complexes were shown to have a

positive correlation to active disease (swollen joints) " " These

anti-IgE antibodies may interfere with binding of IgE and thus

prevent sensitization of basophils and mast cells. Similarly it has

been found that patients treated with anti-IgE antibodies had

increased levels of IgE–anti-IgE complexes and thereby the half-life

of serum IgE was increased "

Ok, still not sure on all this but ... does this mean that Xolair

does in fact have the ability to reduce arthritic symptoms?

A few years ago various doctors disdainfully and even condescendingly

informed me that arthritis, allergies, and asthma were all thought to

be inter-related. They also implied that these were all emotionally

related. I think the latter is a bunch of bull but re this article

I'm wondering if there is a correlation biologically between

arthritis, allergis, and asthma?