To investigate the level of serum IL-10 in allergic rhinitis patients and the correlation between IL-10 and serum total IgE (TIgE). 50 allergic rhinitis patients and 30 normal subjects were involved in the study. The levels of serum IL-10 and TIgE were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the correlation between serum IL-10 and TIgE was analyzed. In the allergic rhinitis group, the levels of serum IL-10 and TIgE were 8.34 +/- 2.48 pg/mL and 142.6 +/- 28.2 KU(A)/L. In the normal control group, they were 12.86 +/- 2.88 pg/mL and 47.2 +/- 12.2 KU(A). There were significant differences between the two groups (P < 0.01); and the level of serum TIgE in the patients was negatively correlated with that of IL-10 (r = -0.46, P = 0.02). The level of serum IL-10 was significantly decreased in allergic rhinitis patients, which was beneficial to the synthesization of IgE. IL-10 plays an important role in the episode of allergic rhinitis.