Celiac And Immune Deficiencies

[quincy]

I recently test for the IgG subclasses and had some relatively minor deficiencies. My doctor has not shown me the blood work so I don't know which ones.

 

I know that since a child I would get constant upper respiratory infections, sinus infections and ear infections.

 

anyone else have any knowledge about these issues and how they treated it? My understanding that minor subclass deficiencies by themselves do not mean you have to have IGIV.  

 

any other ideas on how to boost immunity?  supplements?

 

 

[cyclinglady]

I think it would help if you got copies of your tests and posted them. I do not trust anyone to give me a verbal response to any lab. People make mistakes.

Sorry you are not feeling well.

[LauraTX]

Hi Quincy,

I have Celiac disease and Common Variable Immunodeficiency with low IgG and IgA.  People with immunodeficiencies have a greater prevalency of autoimmune disorders... I also have lupus and things related to it.  When I was first diagnosed over a year ago, my immunologist said that just low immunoglobulins is not enough neccesarily to merit IVIG treatment.  They have to look at certain things with your B cells and T cells, and what your vaccine response is, along with the immunoglobulin levels.   Then from that the decision is made of a diganosis (i.e. just Open Original Shared Link or the more involved Open Original Shared Link).  There are cutoff levels for IgG values that sometimes need IVIG, and always need IVIG.  The lower you go, the more likely you will need it.  Have you seen an immunologist yet?  That is certainly your next needed step.  

 

When it was first discovered I had CVID, it was incompletely diagnosed by a rheumatologist.  Please get yourself to an immunologist who specializes in immune deficiencies, so you have a complete diagnosis and nothing is skipped.  It is likely your doctor, if they are not a specialist, is not going to have the skill set needed to interpret your results.

 

Lastly, please go check out the Primary Immune Foundation's website at Open Original Shared Link, they have a lot of resources.  They can even help you find a doctor if needed:  Open Original Shared Link

 

From the best of my knowledge there is only one other person on this board with experience with immunodeficiencies, a person whose child has it.  They will probably pop in to the thread soon.  Let us know what happens, and if you just need someone to talk to about the new discovery, I am here for ya.  The good thing is that you now know the cause of all the past infections and such, and it is great being able to treat the actual cause.

[quincy]

Hi Quincy,

I have Celiac disease and Common Variable Immunodeficiency with low IgG and IgA.  People with immunodeficiencies have a greater prevalency of autoimmune disorders... I also have lupus and things related to it.  When I was first diagnosed over a year ago, my immunologist said that just low immunoglobulins is not enough neccesarily to merit IVIG treatment.  They have to look at certain things with your B cells and T cells, and what your vaccine response is, along with the immunoglobulin levels.   Then from that the decision is made of a diganosis (i.e. just Open Original Shared Link or the more involved Open Original Shared Link).  There are cutoff levels for IgG values that sometimes need IVIG, and always need IVIG.  The lower you go, the more likely you will need it.  Have you seen an immunologist yet?  That is certainly your next needed step.  

 

When it was first discovered I had CVID, it was incompletely diagnosed by a rheumatologist.  Please get yourself to an immunologist who specializes in immune deficiencies, so you have a complete diagnosis and nothing is skipped.  It is likely your doctor, if they are not a specialist, is not going to have the skill set needed to interpret your results.

 

Lastly, please go check out the Primary Immune Foundation's website at Open Original Shared Link, they have a lot of resources.  They can even help you find a doctor if needed:  Open Original Shared Link

 

From the best of my knowledge there is only one other person on this board with experience with immunodeficiencies, a person whose child has it.  They will probably pop in to the thread soon.  Let us know what happens, and if you just need someone to talk to about the new discovery, I am here for ya.  The good thing is that you now know the cause of all the past infections and such, and it is great being able to treat the actual cause.

Thank you for the responses. I just got my lab work:

 

IgG Serum is 776 and the reference range starts at 700

 

IgG1 below normal. It is 339 and the reference ranges starts at 422

IgG 2 is good, right in the middle of the rangee

igG 3 is below normal, it is 37 and the reference ranges starts at 42

IgG 4 is in the normal range but it is 15 and the new range will start at 2 to 115 for adult males.

 

I have not seen an immunologist yet as I just got these results. My CD57 is low also, like 24. There is one close by that is an Immunologist/Allergist. Graduate of Yale. I don't know if these numbers are that bad or what. I have been treated for Lyme this past year, dx'd with Celiac in 2010.  Been sick since a child. Started with ear infections, got meningitis at 6 months old. Not supposed to be here on this earth really. Until this recent bout with a bad head cold and cough, fatigue and short fever, I was doing very well not getting sick. This was a bit of a set back for me. I am taking long to recuperate this time but I went through the ordeal of my mother's open heart surgery and recovery so I was really stressed out and running to the hospital constantly.

 

thanks for any advice or info.....!

[LauraTX]

Thanks for posting those results.  The good news is your total IgG is good, it looks like a potential IgG Subclass Deficiency (Open Original Shared Link ) and that is usually not as severe.  A person I know with that has a similar story as you, his ears are constantly infected and he has hearing loss from the constant infections so they keep him on antibiotics all the time.    Sometimes other things they check can still mean you need IVIG therapy, but just a few low sub-classes doesn't necessarily mean you need it.  I would definitely follow up with the immunologist so they can at least take a good look at it, and at least have someone to go to any time you get those infections.

 

There isn't much else you can do to boost immunity other than to take care of yourself overall, anything that improves your overall health is a good plus to your immune system.  If you are of the severity that you need IVIG, many people get a huge improvement in their health after going on it, so it isn't necessarily something to be afraid of.  Myself, I was like you, the sickly child, always catching everything, and once I learned and was able to treat the true cause of it all, it helped me a lot.  So for now while you are waiting to get that appointment, just do the best you can to take care of yourself, and then you can get some good answers.

[quincy]

Thanks for posting those results.  The good news is your total IgG is good, it looks like a potential IgG Subclass Deficiency (Open Original Shared Link ) and that is usually not as severe.  A person I know with that has a similar story as you, his ears are constantly infected and he has hearing loss from the constant infections so they keep him on antibiotics all the time.    Sometimes other things they check can still mean you need IVIG therapy, but just a few low sub-classes doesn't necessarily mean you need it.  I would definitely follow up with the immunologist so they can at least take a good look at it, and at least have someone to go to any time you get those infections.

 

There isn't much else you can do to boost immunity other than to take care of yourself overall, anything that improves your overall health is a good plus to your immune system.  If you are of the severity that you need IVIG, many people get a huge improvement in their health after going on it, so it isn't necessarily something to be afraid of.  Myself, I was like you, the sickly child, always catching everything, and once I learned and was able to treat the true cause of it all, it helped me a lot.  So for now while you are waiting to get that appointment, just do the best you can to take care of yourself, and then you can get some good answers.

Thank you, Laura TX  much appreciated. The doctor who did the labs, at my request, said the same thing.

 

Any thoughts on getting flu vaccines, or do you avoid them?  Many on the Lyme group from another site say to avoid the flu shot. I get it because I work around college students every day. But the last few times I felt bad afterwards and had to take a day off from work. It kept me from getting the flu, which in the past has been just horrendous, with high fever and upper respiratory problems.

[LauraTX]

Unless a doctor is telling you not to get it, I would absolutely get your flu shot as soon as you can.  For the immunodeficiency patients it pretty much is not an option to not get it.

[LauraTX]

Whoops, pressed reply too fast there.  Make sure the vaccine you get is one of the dead ones, and not a live one.  (Like the nasal mist).   More info can be found here: Open Original Shared Link

[SMRI]

My daughter is low IgG 2, 3, 4 but her 1 is in the normal range and her overall total is normal.  Low IgG1 is generally the most "severe" and explains all of the Upper Respiratory stuff.  The 2 and 4 are also respiratory but 3 is digestive and has basically the same symptoms as Celiac.  You probably are not low enough to get IV treatments but see what the immunologist says.  My daughter actually sees an infectious disease specialist that specializes in immune issues.  She is wonderful.  Mainly my daughter needs to go on antibiotics at the first sign of a cold.  She mainly has sinus issues and has had a few sinus surgeries with another one likely around Christmas when she is home from school.  She's actually done really well the past year but the sinus stuff is back.  

 

If you are old enough to remember the movie-"Boy in the Plastic Bubble" with John Travolta  Open Original Shared Link , that is what this is.  There are varying degrees of severity though.  The medical person that finally caught DD's condition had this herself, however her case was very severe and a simple cold would land her in the hospital for 3 weeks.

[quincy]

Whoops, pressed reply too fast there.  Make sure the vaccine you get is one of the dead ones, and not a live one.  (Like the nasal mist).   More info can be found here: Open Original Shared Link

thanks Laura and SMRI this has been really helpful.

 

One thing I noticed on the LabCorp report dated October 10, there is a note below the ranges that says as of Oct 20 the reference ranges will be changing, which will put the scores I received within the new ranges. Not sure how this works. Maybe the measurement will still be the same.

Once I find an immune deficiencies specialist they  will probably want to run the tests again anyway.  Going to get my flu shot. It's just on the Lyme boards, they are all adamantly opposed to them, so in my case it's damned if I do, damned if I don't. But I will get it.  There is a pulmonary group close to my place that offers a shot that has no preservatives, whatever that means.

[cyclinglady]

But why get it? I never have had the flu shot. I have had the flu once or twice in 20 years. My old doctor did not recommend them to me. Because you have had Lyme Disease, I would ask your doctor before getting the flu shot. I have no expertise in this area, but a red flag went up on when you mentioned that the Lyme Disease group was against it.

Oh, I am not against vaccinations. My kid is fully vaccinated.

[LauraTX]

If you feel like the vaccine may be contraindicated by your history of lyme disease, definitely check with a doctor first.  We are definitely not familiar with lyme disease here as a general group.   If it is just people on the internet saying to stay away from the preservatives and such, getting that special one you mentioned is a good compromise.  But anyone who is extra susceptible to respiratory illness can suffer terrible complications from the flu, so you just have to weigh the risk vs benefit as you have to do in most medical decisions.  

 

The laboratory standards changing is something I have heard of.  This year there was a lot of controversy with certain insurers looking at patients who were on IVIG treatment and therefore had normal IgG levels, telling them "hey you are normal now so we aren't paying for IVIG anymore you need to be reassessed after a 6 month break" and totally screwing up people's lives.  I suspect that has something to do with all of that and more standards being put into place to try and protect against that.

[quincy]

If you feel like the vaccine may be contraindicated by your history of lyme disease, definitely check with a doctor first.  We are definitely not familiar with lyme disease here as a general group.   If it is just people on the internet saying to stay away from the preservatives and such, getting that special one you mentioned is a good compromise.  But anyone who is extra susceptible to respiratory illness can suffer terrible complications from the flu, so you just have to weigh the risk vs benefit as you have to do in most medical decisions.  

 

The laboratory standards changing is something I have heard of.  This year there was a lot of controversy with certain insurers looking at patients who were on IVIG treatment and therefore had normal IgG levels, telling them "hey you are normal now so we aren't paying for IVIG anymore you need to be reassessed after a 6 month break" and totally screwing up people's lives.  I suspect that has something to do with all of that and more standards being put into place to try and protect against that.

I saw my Lyme doctor and he said the flu shot is ok so long as I am not sick in the sense of having fever or overt symptoms. I still have to find an immunologist in my area. This recent bout of upper respiratory infection really knocked me down hard so I cannot afford to get the flu, I could lose my job if I keep calling in sick. 

 

What surprises me is that  all of us with celiac and perhaps other autoimmune issues should be checked up front for these deficiencies. I have gone all my life not knowing I had celiac until my 40's. Then found out I had Lyme for who knows how long. 

 

I say all of this because I hope others are reading/following this thread because I have a feeling many can relate to being sickly all their lives and not understanding why, then finding out you have celiac and thinking "ah ok, well this explains alot," only to keep getting sick and not feeling better after going strictly gluten-free.  THen you start peeling back the layers and there is Lyme, immune deficiencies, detox'ing problems etc etc.