Although most asthmatics are atopic (allergic), non-atopic asthmatics exist and can develop equally severe disease. Non-allergic asthmatics have a trend towards higher than normal levels of the allergic antibody (IgE) though obviously they lack skin test specificity. When examining skin test reactivity and serum IgE as independent variables for asthma risk, there was a stronger association with serum IgE elevation than skin test reactivity. In fact, serum IgE tended to be high in asthmatics regardless of skin test reactivity.