Screening of IgA deficiency by ELISA: population frequency in Hungary

The probability of the development of an anaphylactic shock in IgA deficient patients following repeated blood transfusion or the administration of any other IgA containing preparation is high. Since these individuals usually show mild, if any, clinical symptoms, the detection of deficiency and/or sensitisation is very important. We have developed an ELISA system suitable for both the rapid mass screening of IgA deficiency and for the detection of anti-IgA already present in the serum. Applying these methods for screening of serum IgA deficiency in healthy Hungarian population resulted in a similar pattern to that reported for other countries. Interestingly, the prevalence of IgA deficiency among Gipsies living in Hungary was significantly higher. We could detect anti-IgA only in one of our IgA deficient patients.