Estimation of gamma globulin in the serum of patients with hypogammaglobulinaemia

Three methods of estimating gamma globulin in the serum of patients with hypogammaglobulinaemia are described and compared, namely free electrophoresis, the inhibition of antiglobulin antiserum method, and the gel diffusion precipitin method. Data from 142 parallel estimations are reported. The errors of these methods are determined. The results of the three techniques give good general agreement. This is due to the fact that the 7S component dominates the estimations whichever technique is used. Some discrepancies are discussed. All of the techniques are applicable to the diagnosis of hypogammaglobulinaemia. Their practical limitations are discussed.