Longitudinal analysis of total serum IgE levels with allergen sensitization and atopic diseases in early childhood

There are few studies addressing the longitudinal analysis of serum IgE levels and its impact to the development of atopic diseases in early childhood. We investigated 170 children who regularly followed up at our clinic for 4 years in a birth cohort study with at least 3 time-points of serum samples. The pattern of total serum IgE levels from 6 months to 4 years of age was clustered using K -means method in R software. Specific immunoglobulin E antibodies against food (egg white and milk) and inhalant allergens ( D. pteronyssinus and D. farinae ) were measured at 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3 and 4 years of age. By using K -means clustering, the dynamic changes in serum IgE levels was significantly stratified into 3 clusters (cluster A,