What do igg levels mean

Serum electrophoresis will rarely be added at the validation stage by the duty biochemist if thought appropriate. The majority of serum electrophoresis requests from patients with inflammatory or infectious diseases are of low specificity in both diagnosis and management. Elevated IgA levels are nonspecific, but can be seen in pulmonary and gastrointestinal inflammatory diseases, some autoimmune conditions, liver disease, and plasma cell disorders.

Patients may have a slightly higher risk of gastrointestinal diseases including coeliac disease , autoimmune disease, or a modest increase in the rate of superficial infections. Elevated IgM levels are a nonspecific marker of inflammation, but can be associated with liver disease. Low IgM levels are commonly nonspecific. Significance of this result depends on the clinical presentation and other laboratory parameters. Elevated IgG levels can be seen in chronic active infection or inflammation, or in association with plasma cell disorders.

Mild hypogammaglobulinaemia is commonly nonspecific. Suggest repeat in 3 months. Low levels The most common causes of decreased immunoglobulins are acquired underlying secondary conditions that either affect the body's ability to produce immunoglobulins or that increase the loss of protein from the body. Deficiencies may also be due to drugs such as immunosuppressants, corticosteroids, phenytoin, and carbamazepine or due to toxins. Inherited immune deficiencies are rare and are often referred to as primary immunodeficiencies.

They may affect the production of all immunoglobulins, a single class, or one or more subclasses. Some of these disorders include agammaglobulinemia, common variable immunodeficiency CVID , x-linked agammaglobulinemia, ataxia telangiectasia, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, hyper-IgM syndrome, and severe combined immunodeficiency SCID.

In CSF, immunoglobulins normally are present in very low concentrations. Increases may be seen, for example, with central nervous system infections meningitis, encephalitis , inflammatory conditions, and multiple sclerosis.

People with conditions that cause decreased immunoglobulin levels often do not have a strong immune response to vaccinations; they may not produce a sufficient level of antibody to ensure protection and may not be able to receive live vaccines, such as those for polio or measles. Many laboratory tests measure antibodies in the blood. Those with immunoglobulin deficiencies may have false-negative results on these types of tests. For example, one test for celiac disease detects the IgA class of anti-tissue transglutaminase antibody anti-tTG.

If a person has a deficiency in IgA, then results of this test may be negative when the person, in fact, has celiac disease. If this is suspected to be the case, then a quantitative test for IgA may be performed.

If IgG or IgA concentrations are decreased, or a deficiency in one of their subclasses is suspected, then subclass testing may be performed to detect and further define the deficiency. Subclass deficiencies can be present even when an immunoglobulin class concentration, such as IgG, is normal.

Some people with IgA deficiencies may develop anti-IgA antibodies. When those with anti-IgA are given blood component transfusions that contain IgA such as plasma or immunoglobulin treatments , they may experience a severe anaphylactic transfusion reaction.

Sometimes an IgM test is used to determine whether a newborn acquired an infection before birth congenital.

IgM may be produced by a developing baby fetus in response to infection. Due to the size of IgM antibodies, they cannot pass through the placenta from mother to baby during pregnancy. Thus, any IgM antibodies present in a newborn's blood are not from the mother but were produced by the baby.

This indicates that an infection began during pregnancy. Infants with otherwise normal immune systems may have temporarily decreased IgG levels when production is delayed. Protection from infections is lost as concentrations of the mother's IgG in the baby's blood decrease over several months.

This creates a period of time during which the baby is at an increased risk for recurrent infections. However, infants who are breastfed acquire IgA from breast milk. The IgA in breast milk can be protective against infections, particularly in the time between the decrease of mother's antibodies and the production of the baby's own antibodies.

In most cases, immunoglobulins do not respond to lifestyle changes. If you are taking a drug that is decreasing one or more of your immunoglobulins, then you and your healthcare practitioner may decide to alter your medications.

It is very important, however, NOT to discontinue or change your medication dosage without consulting with your healthcare provider. Infants gradually lose protection from infections as the levels of IgG they receive through the placenta from their mothers decrease after birth.

Greater protection can be provided for babies through breastfeeding since breast milk contains IgA, which protects against infections. Not specific ones. Unexplained recurrent infections, multiple infections, or opportunistic infections, with or without chronic diarrhea, may indicate a need to check a person's immune status. A positive family history of an immunodeficiency may also require follow up.

A thorough physical examination and a careful medical history can be critical to a diagnosis. In such cases, a quantitative immunoglobulin test is often performed along with tests such as serum and urine protein electrophoresis to help establish a diagnosis. Specific Disease Types. Mayer, G. Accessed June KidsHealth from Nemours [On-line information].

Dugdale, D. Updated June Quantitative immunoglobulins — nephelometry. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia [On-line information]. Delgado, J. Updated January. Immunoglobulin Disorders. Lin, R. Updated August Hypogammaglobulinemia eMedicine [On-line information]. Bascom, R. If infections are not getting in the way of your daily life, treating them right away may be enough.

If you get frequent or severe infections that keep coming back, you may do well with ongoing treatment. This will help to prevent sickness or reduce symptoms or frequency. This may mean taking a daily antibiotic to ward off infections. You may need to alternate between other antibiotics if infections and symptoms still happen. Some people who suffer from severe infections may be resistant to antibiotic treatment.

If you have been diagnosed with IgG deficiency, call your healthcare provider whenever you have signs of infection. This is true even if you just have a cold. When the symptoms come on later in life, the health problem is harder to manage, and the person tends to have more infections.

At the visit, write down the name of a new diagnosis, and any new medicines, treatments, or tests. Also, write down any new instructions your provider gives you. Know why a new medicine or treatment is prescribed, and how it will help you. Also, know what the side effects are. Health Home Conditions and Diseases. What are IgG deficiencies? What causes IgG deficiencies? What are the symptoms of an IgG deficiency?