Humoral immune deficiency
Humoral immune deficiencies are conditions which cause impairment of humoral immunity, which can lead to immunodeficiency. It can be mediated by insufficient number or function of B cells, the plasma cells they differentiate into, or the antibody secreted by the plasma cells. The most common such immunodeficiency is inherited selective IgA deficiency, occurring between 1 in 100 and 1 in 1000 persons, depending on population.They are associated with increased vulnerability to infection, but can be difficult to detect in the absence of infection.Signs/symptoms of humoral immune deficiency depend on the cause, but generally include signs of infection such as:
Cause of this deficiency is divided into primary and secondary:
In terms of diagnosis of humoral immune deficiency depends upon the following:
Treatment for B cell deficiency depends on the cause, however generally the following applies:
- Treatment of infection
- Surveillance for malignancies
- Immunoglobulin replacement therapy
