The list of medical symptoms mentioned in various sources for Selective IgA Deficiency may include:
List of 12 Selective IgA Deficiency Symptoms
Note that Selective IgA Deficiency symptoms usually refers to various medical symptoms known to a patient, but the phrase Selective IgA Deficiency signs may often refer to those signs that are only noticable by a doctor.
Many IgA-deficient patients are
healthy, with no more than the usual number of infections. Those
patients who do have symptoms typically have recurring ear, sinus,
or lung infections that may not respond to standard courses of
antibiotics. People with IgA-deficiency are likely to have other
problems, including allergies, asthma, chronic diarrhea, and
autoimmune diseases.
How is IgA deficiency
diagnosed?
People with IgA deficiency have low
levels of IgA antibodies in their blood. In contrast, their levels
of IgM and IgG immunoglobulins usually are normal. IgA-deficient
people also have normal levels of other immune system cells,
including T cells, phagocytes, and complement proteins.
Doctors diagnose IgA deficiency by doing tests to measure
the amount of total immunoglobulin in the blood as well as the type
of immunoglobulin known as IgG2. Other tests determine how well a
person is producing antibodies against specific germs following
immunization with a common vaccine, such as a tetanus
shot.
What causes IgA
deficiency?
IgA deficiency is caused by faulty
white blood cells called B cells or B lymphocytes. While patients
have normal numbers of B cells, these cells do not mature into
normal IgA-producing cells. Scientists do not yet know the exact
cause or causes for these immature B cells. Sometimes clusters of
cases occur in families, and IgA-deficient patients are more likely
than the general population to be related to someone with combined
variable immunodeficiency, another form of immunodeficiency
discussed below. Research is underway to determine the location of
the suspected genes on the involved chromosomes.
How is IgA deficiency
treated?
There is no specific treatment for
selective IgA deficiency. Doctors treat bacterial infections with
antibiotics, and patients with giardiasis (an infection caused by a
common intestinal parasite receive metronidazole or quinacrine
hydrochloride.
(Source: excerpt from Primary Immune Deficiency, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID)
More detailed symptom information may be found on the symptoms of Selective IgA Deficiency article. In addition to the above medical information, to get a full picture of the possible signs or symptoms of this condition and also possibly the signs and symptoms of its related medical conditions, it may be necessary to examine symptoms that may be caused by:
These general reference articles may be related to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:
The phrase "signs of Selective IgA Deficiency" should, strictly speaking, refer only to those signs and symptoms of Selective IgA Deficiency that are not readily apparent to the patient. The word "symptoms of Selective IgA Deficiency" is the more general meaning; see symptoms of Selective IgA Deficiency.
The signs and symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Selective IgA Deficiency. This medical information about signs and symptoms for Selective IgA Deficiency has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Selective IgA Deficiency signs or Selective IgA Deficiency symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Selective IgA Deficiency may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Selective IgA Deficiency symptoms.
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