PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - K Yokota
AU  - Y Johyama
AU  - K Yamaguchi
AU  - Y Fujiki
AU  - T Takeshita
AU  - K Morimoto
TI  - Risk factors for sensitisation to methyltetrahydrophthalic anhydride.
AID  - 10.1136/oem.54.9.667
DP  - 1997 Sep 01
TA  - Occupational and Environmental Medicine
PG  - 667--670
VI  - 54
IP  - 9
4099  - http://oem.bmj.com/content/54/9/667.short
4100  - http://oem.bmj.com/content/54/9/667.full
SO  - Occup Environ Med1997 Sep 01; 54
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine an association between specific IgE to methyltetrahydrophthalic anhydride (MTHPA) and exposure time, atopic history, smoking habits, and total IgE concentrations. METHODS: A cross sectional survey was carried out on a population of 148 workers from two condenser plants using epoxy resin with MTHPA, an acid anhydride curing agent known to cause allergy. RESULTS: Using a Pharmacia CAP system with a MTHPA human serum albumin conjugate, specific IgE antibody was detected in serum from 97 (66%) out of the 148 workers exposed to MTHPA. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis showed a striking relation between log concentrations of specific and total IgE (P < 0.0001). Furthermore, when the workers were divided into two groups according to a cut-off point (100 IU/ml) between low and high total IgE, current smoking was significantly (P = 0.025) associated with specific IgE production only in the group with low total IgE (< 100 IU/ml). CONCLUSIONS: Smoking is the most significant risk factor for raising specific IgE to MTHPA in the group with low total IgE concentrations.