Serum
IgE concentrations were determined and
IgE turnover studies were performed in control individuals as well as in patients with several disease states. Patients with
common variable hypogammaglobulinemia,
thymoma and
hypogammaglobulinemia,
ataxia telangiectasia, and selective
IgA deficiency had significantly decreased mean serum
IgE concentrations. In turnover studies, this was found to be due to decreased
IgE synthesis. In spite of these depressed mean values, some patients with
common variable hypogammaglobulinemia had normal serum
IgE concentrations and synthetic rates. Patients with the
Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome had a significantly elevated mean serum
IgE concentration. In one of four patients studied with the turnover technique, a strikingly high
IgE concentration was present and was associated with an elevated
IgE synthetic rate. Three other patients had both normal serum
IgE concentrations and synthetic rates. Patients with
chronic lymphocytic leukemia had significantly decreased mean serum concentrations and synthetic rates for
IgE. The depressed
IgE synthesis was associated with a significantly prolonged
IgE half-life. Patients with
Hodgkin's disease had significantly increased serum
IgE concentrations. One of three patients studied had a high serum
IgE concentration and synthetic rate of
IgE. The two other patients had normal serum
IgE concentrations associated with normal synthetic rates. Finally patients with
protein-losing enteropathy or familial
hypercatabolic hypoproteinemia had normal
IgE concentrations associated with normal
IgE metabolic parameters. In these cases, the disorder in the catabolic rate was not severe enough to affect the total amount of circulating
IgE because
IgE normally has a very high fractional catabolic rate. In general,
IgE levels in a variety of disease states were correlated with
IgE synthetic rates and abnormalities in the catabolic rate of
IgE in disease did not exert an important effect on
IgE concentration.