> Hi There:
Hi back! Hope you had a great 4th of July weekend!
IgA is also known as the secretory antibody, since it is present in high
concentrations in body secretions (saliva, human milk, tears, etc.) and
on mucosal surfaces (mouth, lungs, etc.). IgA deficiency is the most
common inherited antibody deficiency, seen in about one person out of
800. People with IgA deficiencies really don't seem to have any major
problems, no obvious disease susceptibility. Even so, IgA deficiencies
seem to be more common in folks with chronic lung disease, so there MAY
be some predisposition to lung infections in someone with an IgA
deficiency. This would make sense since the inside of the lungs is a
nice mucosal surface where you would expect IgA to be important. But
even so, those with selective IgA deficiency (that is, not deficient in
IgM or IgG especially) seem to do very well in general.
I hope this is somewhat helpful for you. Good luck. If it was my child
(I have two <G>), I would be searching for information, too!
Mmmmmmmmm.. I lived on the island of Guam for 6 years... I must admit, I
miss an awful lot of that south Pacific beauty that you enjoy every day!
Patti W. Jareo, Ph.D.
Dept. of Medical Microbiology & Immunology
Creighton University
Omaha NE 68178
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