Retrospective Evaluation of Children with Immunoglobulin A Deficiency

This study aimed to compare the clinical and immunological changes and the degree of immunoglobulin A (IgA) deficiency during the follow-up period in patients with IgA deficiency, the most common group of primary immunodeficiency. The study included 234 patients whose serum immunoglobulin levels were checked for any reason and whose IgA level was found to be below the normal level for their age when they applied to the Pediatric Allergy and Immunology outpatient clinic of Eskişehir Osmangazi University Faculty of Medicine Hospital between 2011 and 2020. The patients were divided into two groups: selective IgA deficiency and partial IgA deficiency. Patients' complaints of hospital admission, history of sibling death, diagnosis of primary immunodeficiency in the family, history of atopic dermatitis, reasons for hospitalization, history of autoimmune disease, and total immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels were examined. It was determined that the history of sibling death was higher in the group with selective IgA deficiency than in the group with partial IgA deficiency (p=0.011). In the group with partial IgA deficiency, the history of atopic dermatitis and the elevation of total IgE were found to be higher than in the group with selective IgA deficiency (respectively; p=0.012, p=0.041). Comparative examination of selective IgA and partial IgA deficiency, which we see due to disorders in the mechanisms that regulate the specialized role of IgA, is important for early diagnosis of comorbid diseases and regulation of treatment protocols.