Food Allergy, Eosinophilic Esophagitis and the Enigma of IgG4

The recognition that IgE, formerly known as reagin, is central to the pathogenesis of allergic disease dates back nearly a century to the seminal work of Prausnitz and Kustner. By contrast, IgG4 represents an antibody subclass that is often increased in the setting of allergic disease but whose role in disease pathogenesis is less clear1. Reports in the 1980s suggested that allergen-specific IgG4 could play a role as an anaphylactic antibody, but subsequent research cast significant doubt on this possibility.

Source: Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology - March 26, 2019 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Emily C. McGowan, Thomas A.E. Platts-Mills, Jeffrey M. Wilson Source Type: research