Eczematoid eruptions in children

Immunoglobulin E antibodies to ingested cereal flour components: studies with sera from subjects with asthma and eczema

The specificity of immunoglobulin E for different cereal grain proteins was investigated using sera from twenty paediatric patients with asthma and/or eczema. Close correlations were observed between radioallergosorbent test values for grain extracts of wheat, rye and barley, and, to a lesser extent, oats. Of the different wheat four fractions tested, the globulins and glutenins consistently bound higher levels of IgE than the gliadins and albumins. This is in contrast both with bakers' asthma (an allergy to inhaled flour where the albumins are important allergens) and with coeliac disease (in which gliadin is the most toxic fraction). Partial digestion of the flour proteins largely removed their ability to bind IgE. An analytical technique of identifying allergens after gel isoelectric focusing demonstrated that many different flour proteins were involved.

Serum IgE levels in healthy children quantified by a sandwich technique (PRIST)

Serum IgE was estimated in 226 healthy children aged 0-14 years without obvious atropic disease in their first degree relatives. A paper disc radioimmunoassay technique (PRIST) was used. A number of criteria for selection of cases were established. This led to the exclusion of forty-two potentially atopic children. The remaining group of 184 children is considered representative of normal children and may therefore be used for reference purposes. The IgE levels were found to be lower than in previous investigations, and this is attributed to the refined technique and the method of selection.