Saturday, February, 11, 2012

Agammaglobulinemia

Table of Contents

Alternative Names

Bruton's agammaglobulinemia; X-linked agammaglobulinemia


Symptoms

Symptoms include frequent episodes of:

  • Bronchitis
  • Chronic diarrhea
  • Conjunctivitis (eye infection)
  • Otitis media (middle ear infection)
  • Pneumonia
  • Sinusitis
  • Skin infections
  • Upper respiratory tract infections

Infections typically appear in the first 4 years of life.

Other symptoms include:

  • Bronchiectasis (a disease in which the small air sacs in the lungs become damaged and enlarged)
  • Unexplained asthma

Signs and tests

The disorder is confirmed by laboratory measurement of blood immunoglobulins.

Tests include:

  • Flow cytometry to measure circulating B lymphocytes
  • Immunoelectrophoresis - serum
  • Quantitative immunoglobulins - IgG, IgA, IgM (usually measured by nephelometry)


Review Date: 05/16/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Stuart I. Henochowicz, MD, FACP, Associate CLinical Professor of Medicine, Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, Georgetown University Medical School. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)