Association of severity of COPD with IgE and interleukin-1beta

Background. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a pulmonary inflammatory disease characterised by airflow limitation. The role of various inflammatory mediators such as interleukin-1beta (IL-1β) and Immunoglobulin E (IgE) have been implicated in COPD. In present study we aimed to establish if there is an association between the serum levels of IL-1β and IgE and the severity of airway obstruction. Materials and methods. The study group comprised of 30 non atopic smokers, suffering from COPD and 30 non smoker, healthy controls. Serum levels of IgE and IL-1β were assayed by ELISA in all subjects along with their pulmonary function tests. Results. Serum IgE and IL-1β levels were significantly raised in COPD patients as compared to healthy controls. IL-1β was negatively correlated with FEV1 (r=-0.624, p=0.003) and IgE showed a negative correlation with FVC (r=-0.477, p=0.034). Conclusion. Our study suggests that in COPD IL-1β and IgE serum levels correlate with clinical aspects of disease severity. We suggest that the production of IgE and IL-1β in the airways of patients with COPD may be related to smoking which affects airway obstruction.