Definition: Immunoglobulin (IgE)

Immunoglobulin (IgE)

Many people have allergy-induced asthma, which means that their asthma symptoms are triggered by allergic reactions. These people have high levels of an allergy-causing antibody (a type of immune protein in the body) called immunoglobulin E (IgE). When they inhale something that they are allergic to, it attaches to the IgE, which then starts a chain of events leading to symptoms of allergies and asthma.