Association between Serum Biotin Levels and Cedar Pollinosis in Japanese Schoolchildren

Biotin is a water-soluble B complex vitamin and coenzyme of five types carboxylase plays crucial roles in fatty acid, glucose, amino acid metabolism. Nutritional biotin deficiency defective enzymes essential for metabolism cause inflammatory diseases such as eczema-like dermatitis Crohn’s disease; however, little known about the pathophysiological biotin. This study investigated relationship between human allergic sensitization by measuring serum levels biotin, total immunoglobulin E (IgE) allergen-specific IgEs more than 400 Japanese schoolchildren aged 6 to 12. The prevalence diseases, environmental life-style factors were also examined questionnaire. Like IgE, children showed log-normal distribution. Meanwhile, Spearman’s rank correlation analysis weak but significant positive associations IgE (rho=0.147, p=0.0029) well against egg whites (rho=0.215, p=0.00013), cedar pollen (rho=0.176, p=0.00036), cat dander (rho=0.130, p=0.0085). Furthermore, mean with pollinosis, not other asthma rhinitis, significantly higher those without (p=0.0015). These results suggest development pollinosis. Further prospective studies are needed evaluate causal pollinosis development.