Review of IgG subclass and IgA deficiency in a tertiary center

Abstract

We retrospectively reviewed the clinical characteristics of twenty patients with IgA and/or IgG subclass deficiency attending a tertiary centre. The median age at diagnosis was 1.21 years and the median duration of follow up was 3.83 years. The most common presenting symptom was recurrent sinopulmonary infections (45%). This was followed by refractory asthma (30%), autoimmunity (15%), and other atopic manifestations (10%). Only one out of twenty patients presented with chronic gastrointestinal disease, which contrasted with the majority of previous literature. Three patients had significant pulmonary complications including bronchiolitis obliterans, bronchiectasis and pulmonary fibrosis. The prevalence of IgA deficiency in Hong Kong Chinese population is yet to be established, though it appears not as prevalent as that in western population.