Risk factors of EIARDs and specific IgE levels
There was no significant difference in the characteristics and median age of starting OIT between the EIARD-positive and EIARD-negative groups (Table 2). There was also no significant difference in the average pace of increasing the amount of antigen in the OIT between the two groups for CM (P =0.52) and wheat (P =0.053) allergies.
With respect to the sIgE levels, there was no significant difference between the EIARD-positive and EIARD-negative groups before the start of OIT (CM: P =0.51, casein: P =0.96, wheat: P =0.93, ω-5 gliadin: P =0.23; Table 2). There was also no significant difference in ⊿food allergen-sIgE calculated using the formula ([difference between sIgE before OIT and sIgE after OIT]/sIgE before OIT) between the groups. In both groups, the sIgE levels of CM, casein, wheat, and ω-5 gliadin were lower after OIT than before OIT (P <0.001 for all comparisons, Figure 3). The sIgE titer after OIT was not tested in one of the two patients who developed an anaphylactic shock in response to CM during the EPT (case 17) and in another patient who had CM-sIgE levels of 0.43 kUA/L and casein-sIgE levels of 0.49 kUA/L (case 19). Eight patients in the wheat EIARD-positive group showed negative sIgE to ω-5 gliadin measured after OIT (Table 2).