To ascertain the prevalence of IgE and non-IgE mediated allergic disorders in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
49 SLE cases (all satisfying at least four "Revised ARA Criteria") and 98 healthy, age, and sex matched controls (randomly selected through two urban general practices and one rural general practice) were interviewed by telephone to screen for a history of allergy. Subjects with a history of allergic rhinitis, asthma or atopic eczema then underwent skin prick testing to confirm underlying IgE mediated disease.
Analysis of the data by conditional logistic regression revealed no significant difference in frequency of allergic disorders in SLE cases and controls (odds ratio (OR) 0.92, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.45, 1.86). In addition a subgroup analysis of subjects with IgE mediated/associated atopic disorders, showed that cases and controls were at a similar risk of having these conditions (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.41, 1.96).
This study suggests that people with SLE are not at an increased risk of IgE mediated/associated allergic disorders, in contrast with previous reports.