Table 1.
Subjects’ characteristics
| Controls (n = 10) | Sensitized (n = 20) | OAS (n = 20) | Systemic (n = 12) | p values | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (median [min–max] in years) | 30 [20–57] | 26 [19–60] | 32 [21–51] | 40 [24–62] | NS |
| Male sex (%) | 2 (20%) | 12 (60%) | 6 (30%) | 2 (17%) | 0.041c |
| Atopic history [number (%)] | |||||
| Allergic rhinitis | 3a (30%) | 14 (70%) | 16 (75%) | 9 (75%) | |
| Atopic dermatitis | 2 (20%) | 5 (25%) | 9 (50%) | 5 (33%) | |
| Allergic asthma | – | 9 (35%) | 10 (55%) | 8 (58%) | |
| SPT (median [min–max] in mm) | |||||
| Birch | 0* | 6 [0–12] | 7 [0–11] | 9 [3–11] | NS |
| Hazelnut | 0* | 4 [3–8] | 5 [3–10] | 6 [4–14] | NS |
| Celery | 0* | 0 [0–7] | 3 [0–10] | 4 [0–7] | NS |
| Apple | 0* | 3 [0–8] | 4 [0–7] | 5 [0–20] | NS |
| Carrot | 0* | 0 [0–10] | 3 [0–15] | 4 [0–14] | NS |
| IgE (median [min–max] in kU/l) | |||||
| Total-IgE | 16 [3–34]* | 184 [20–2097] | 178 [24–6861] | 59 [26–4801] | NS |
| sIgE Bet v 1 | 0.0 [0.0–0.1]* | 3.5 [0.0–16.2] | 10.2 [0.0–72.4] | 5.9 [0.1–43.6] | NS |
| sIgE Cor a 1 | 0.0 [0.0–0.1]* | 1.9 [0.0–7.4] | 6.7 [0.0–63.8] | 3.5 [0.1–28.1] | 0.0254d |
| sIgE Cor a 8 | n.d. | n.d. | 0.2 [0.0–1.3] | 0.0 [0.0–0.0] | NS |
| Ratiob (median [min–max]) | |||||
| rBet v 1/total-IgE | 0.00* | 0.04 [0.00–4.19] | 0.07 [0.00–13.0] | 0.04 [0.00–11.9] | NS |
| rCor a 1/total-IgE | 0.00* | 0.02 [0.00–0.80] | 0.20 [0.00–4.36] | 0.18 [0.00–4.77] | 0.0226e |
Statistical significances were analyzed with Kruskal–Wallis test
* Significant difference of the control group versus the other groups
aAccording to case history, not caused by birch pollen
bCalculated as sIgE * sIgE/total IgE
cSensitized versus control and systemic group
dSensitized versus OAS group
eSensitized versus OAS and systemic group