Abstract
Previous reports have implicated maternal ethanol ingestion as a cause of immunoglobulin abnormalities in children. We investigated the relationship between self-reported alcohol ingestion in 98 women during pregnancy and serum cord Immunoglobulin E (IgE). We found that mean cord IgE concentrations were significantly lower among newborns born to drinking mothers (0.15 IU/ml) than nondrinking mothers (0.27 IU/ml), p < 0.05. The difference of serum cord IgE means remained significant among infants with a positive family history of allergic disease, 0.15 IU/ml for infants of drinking mothers and 0.40 IU/ml of nondrinking mothers. There was a significant trend for lower mean cord IgE with increasing ethanol ingestion (p < 0.05). Maternal alcohol drinking should be considered a potential influence on cord blood IgE concentrations at birth.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 193-198 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Pediatric Asthma, Allergy and Immunology |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1995 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
- Immunology and Allergy
- Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine