Abstract
Six infants each requiring one or two exchange transfusions (total 8) were monitored for the level of transfused IgE in their serum and the rate of skin fixation of the exogenous IgE.
An average of over 80% of the transfused IgE was detected in the infants blood stream at the conclusion of the exchange. The persistance of the IgE in the circulation was in inverse relationship to the amount transfused. Donor IgE varied from 15 u/ml to 650 u/ml with 70% to 30% remaining in the infants' circulation after 24 hours. Skin fixation of IgE parallels its disappearance from the circulation. Maximum skin fixation was observed between 36 and 48 hours and the skin-fixed IgE persisted for the 31 days that two of the babies were able to be followed.
The normal human infant is born with a fully developed mechanism to produce an atopic reaction except for IgE antibody. Thus the IgE infused in conjunction with a transfusion can place the infant at risk of a passively transferred anaphylactic reaction for at least one month.
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Mellon, M., Tomaszewski, M., Orgel, H. et al. SERUM LEVELS AND SKIN FIXATION OF TRANSFUSED IgE IN INFANTS. Pediatr Res 11, 490 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197704000-00724
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197704000-00724