Quantitative study of immunoglobulins A and G in the salivary secretion of asthmatic patients

"Quantitative study of IgG and IgA in the saliva of asthmatics." In this paper the data obtained from the quantitative determination of the IgG and IgA contents of saliva in a group of 56 asthmatic patients of different ages and a group of 54 non-asthmatic healthy controls are compared and discussed. The method of Mancini has been used for measuring the contents of IgG and IgM, both in serum and saliva, the correction proposed by Hobbs has been applied to these values. The following findings are reported: 1. The IgG and IgA levels in the saliva of asthmatic patients (both children and adults) showed a trend to an increased dispersion, when compared with the values observed in the corresponding normal healthy controls. 2. In the group of asthmatic children studied, the measurement of the concentration of these immunoglobulins in saliva showed, as a whole, a significative decrease of IgA (p less than 0,001) and an increase of IgG (p less than 0,01). It is not possible, however, from this data to infer any type of correlation between the concentration of IgA or IgG in saliva and etiology or clinical picture. On the other hand, no statistical difference could be demonstrated between the concentration of these immunoglobulins in the saliva of the group of adult asthmatic patients and the corresponding healthy controls. 3. The present data does not support the existence of any correlation between the concentration of these immunoglobulins in saliva and serum in a group of asthmatic patients. It is of interest to point out, however, that the only three adult asthamtic patients with an IgA serum concentration higher than 400 mg/100 ml. show increased IgA levels in saliva. The authors are planning to proceed this study adding in furture cases the measurement of IgE and IgD with the purpose of confirming the difference found between the concentrations of IgA and IgG in the saliva of asthmatic children versus healthy controls, and of looking at the existence of other significant differences or correlations.