eMedicine Specialties > Allergy and Immunology > Immunodeficiencies

Immunoglobulin M Deficiency: Follow-up

Author: Iftikhar Hussain, MD, Director of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Center, PC
Coauthor(s): Srividya Sridhara, MD, Resident Physician, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Oklahoma; Bilal Ahmed, MD, MBBS, Clinical Research Assistant, Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Center, PC
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Jul 21, 2009

Follow-up

Further Outpatient Care

  • Determination of quantitative immunoglobulins (IgM, IgG, IgA, IgE) and IgG subclasses should be performed at periodic intervals (ie, every 1-2 y).

Complications

  • Prompt treatment of infections helps to decrease morbidity and mortality.

Prognosis

  • Patients with severe life-threatening infections clearly have poor prognoses. Other patients who are asymptomatic may have excellent prognoses.

Patient Education

  • Educate patients to promptly report any symptoms of infection.

Miscellaneous

Medicolegal Pitfalls

  • Patients should be promptly referred to a clinical immunologist. Quantitative measurements of other immunoglobulin isotypes (in order to exclude other humoral immunodeficiencies) upon discovering low IgM levels must also be done, and the possibility of clonal B-cell disorders should be ruled out.
 
Acknowledgments

The authors and editors of eMedicine gratefully acknowledge the contributions of previous author Christina O'Relley Barnes, MD, to the development and writing of this article.



More on Immunoglobulin M Deficiency

Overview: Immunoglobulin M Deficiency
Differential Diagnoses & Workup: Immunoglobulin M Deficiency
Treatment & Medication: Immunoglobulin M Deficiency
Follow-up: Immunoglobulin M Deficiency
References
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Further Reading

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Keywords

immunoglobulin M deficiency, IgM deficient, selective IgM deficiency, SIgMD, hypogammaglobulinemia, IgM, IgM deficiency, DiGeorge syndrome, hypocomplementemia, hypogammaglobulinemia, IgA deficiency, IgG deficiency, Wiskott-Aldich syndrome, IgG reference range, Ig reference ranges, common variable immunodeficiency

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Iftikhar Hussain, MD, Director of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Center, PC
Iftikhar Hussain, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, American College of Physicians, American Thoracic Society, and Association of Clinical Research Professionals
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Srividya Sridhara, MD, Resident Physician, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Oklahoma
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Bilal Ahmed, MD, MBBS, Clinical Research Assistant, Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Center, PC
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

Melvin Berger, MD, PhD, Adjunct Professor of Pediatrics and Pathology, Case Western Reserve University; Senior Medical Director, Clinical Research and Development, CSL Behring, LLC
Melvin Berger, MD, PhD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association of Immunologists, American Pediatric Society, American Society for Clinical Investigation, and Clinical Immunology Society
Disclosure: CSL Behring Salary Employment

Pharmacy Editor

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD, Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: eMedicine Salary Employment

Managing Editor

Michael R Simon, MD, MA, Clinical Professor Emeritus, Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Wayne State University School of Medicine; Adjunct Staff, Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, William Beaumont Hospital
Michael R Simon, MD, MA is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, American College of Physicians, American Federation for Medical Research, Michigan Allergy and Asthma Society, Michigan State Medical Society, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine
Disclosure: Secretory IgA, Inc. Ownership interest Board membership

CME Editor

Timothy D Rice, MD, Associate Professor, Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Timothy D Rice, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics and American College of Physicians
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Michael A Kaliner, MD, Clinical Professor of Medicine, George Washington University School of Medicine; Chief, Section of Allergy and Immunology, Washington Hospital Center; Medical Director, Institute for Asthma and Allergy
Michael A Kaliner, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, American Association of Immunologists, American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, American Society for Clinical Investigation, American Thoracic Society, and Association of American Physicians
Disclosure: Abbott Consulting fee Consulting; Alcon Consulting fee Consulting; Glaxo Consulting fee Consulting; Greer Consulting fee Consulting; Sanofi Consulting fee Consulting; Schering Consulting fee Consulting; Teva  Consulting; Meda Honoraria Speaking and teaching

 
 
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