IGHE and allergic disease: As the mast cell activation in, for example allergic reactions, predominantly occurs via IgE bound to its receptor (FcεR), we also stained the cells for the levels of IgE bound on their surface, and observed that inside the carotid arteries 7.8 ± 3.4 × 103 intraplaque mast cells, or approximately 63% of the total mast cell population, contained IgE, whereas in the femoral plaques 77 ± 36 × 103 mast cells, or 74% of all of the mast cells had IgE on their surface.