Prevalence and association of elevated total serum IgE levels with ICU admissions and poor asthma control: a retrospective study in a tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of elevated serum Immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels among adult patients with asthma and to investigate the association between IgE levels and hospital admissions, ICU admissions, asthma control, and other clinical outcomes.

METHODS

This was a retrospective single-centre study. Adult patients with a confirmed diagnosis of asthma between 28 February 2023 and 1 March 2024 at Al-Noor Specialist Hospital, Mecca, Saudi Arabia, were included. Patients were excluded if their records lacked spirometry or serum IgE data. Population characteristics were presented as frequency for categorical variables and median with interquartile range for continuous variables. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of severe asthma outcomes stratified by IgE levels.

RESULTS

The study included 807 asthma patients, with a majority being females (68.9%) and a mean age of 48.2 years. A total of 311 patients (38.5%) had elevated serum IgE levels (> 100 IU). Patients with high IgE levels had significantly higher rates of hospital admission due to asthma (16.4% vs. 7.1%, p < 0.001) and ICU admission (4.2% vs. 1.2%, p = 0.008). They were also less likely to have controlled asthma (42.4% vs. 78.9%, p < 0.001) and more likely to report frequent acute care service visits (62.1% vs. 32.5%, p < 0.001). Logistic regression showed that elevated IgE levels were significantly associated with increased odds of hospital admission (OR = 2.6, 95% CI = [1.6-4.0], p < 0.001), ICU admission (OR = 3.5, 95% CI = [1.3-9.4], p = 0.011), uncontrolled asthma (OR = 0.2, 95% CI = [0.1-0.3], p < 0.001), and frequent ACS visits (OR = 0.3, 95% CI = [0.2-0.4], p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Elevated serum IgE levels are significantly associated with poorer asthma control, increased hospital admissions, and higher ICU admission rates. Stratifying asthma patients based on IgE levels may help identify high-risk individuals and guide management strategies through a targeted approach.