Serum IgE in Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis

Abstract

EOSINOPHILIC gastroenteritis is an uncommon digestive disease. Although it is often regarded as allergic in origin, trials of elimination diet generally have been unsuccessful, and relatively little evidence for an allergic mechanism has been presented. The apparent lack of relation between eosinophilic gastroenteritis and food allergy associated with common atopy contributes to the uncertain role for immediate hypersensitivity in this disorder. Since serum levels of IgE have found wide application in the in vitro assessment of more common forms of allergy — e.g., ragweed sensitivity — we studied serum IgE in two patients with proved eosinophilic gastroenteritis. We sought to . . .