I got some lab results back today that I need some help with. Do any of you understand what this means?

IGG 159.0 ref (614.0- 1,286.0)

IGA 50.0 ref (69.0- 311.0)

IGM 123.0 ref (52.0-333.0)

I know this has something to do wiht my body not being able to fight infection. Thanks for any help

Suzanne

I can helo you out a little bit with these results,

These three results here are tests for antibodies that are in your body. Antibodies are used to fight of infections, viruses and other sorts of things. There are 5 main types of antibodies and the three here are the most common.

IgG and IgM are your two most abundant antibodies as you can tell from the reference numbers. These are your main antibodies in defense from pathogens when they get into your body and begin to circulate.

IgA antibodies are mostly localized to mucosal surfaces of your body, like mouth, nose eyes etc. These kind of act to get rid of bugs before they actually get into your body. They will be found in fluids like saliva, tears and even breast milk.

It makes sense that you may have troubles fighting off bugs since as you can tell from the references that your counts are below the normal range. I would ask your doctor about ways of stimulating your immune system and see if you can get these numbers up. Hope that helps.

Greg

Wow, Suz....
What did your doc tell you? With your gamma globulin (IGG) so low, I would think he/she would want to treat you or at least do some other "lookin' around". In addition to immune deficiency disease there are other things that can lower your levels: Diet, some meds, other diseases, etc. Keep us posted!
Penny

I dont see my doc again until next week. I am scared. Does this mena I have a genetic problem and will have this forever? How do these levels get so low? Is there anything besides these IV's of immunogobulin that I can do to get it up? What happens if I dont get it up? Thanks for all your help

No, not all immunodeficiencies are genetic, but many are. Your doc will probably do some other testing to find out if there are additional health issues. If he doesn't, or doesn't refer you to a specialist, insist that he does. If he won't, simply find another doctor. The reasons for the low levels can be varied...another reason the doc needs to look for other things that may be easy to fix. IV gamma globulin (IVIG) is not a horrible thing. It has helped me to be the healthiest that I have been in years. But let's not get ahead of ourselves........let's see what your doc says. IVIG is one of the surest ways to bring that level up to normal. Other means to treat a low level can be dependent upon the cause of the low level. I know that this is a very difficult time for you, but try to NOT let this consume you. It can be scary, granted, but stress is only going to make you less healthy. There is an organization called the Immune Deficiency Foundation. If you type that into your search engine it will hook you up with their web site. There is a lot of good info there.
Keep us posted and feel free to ask lots of questions!
Love,
Penny