Clinical findings and intestinal immunoglobulins in children with partial IgA deficiency

We studied the intestinal morphology, and the jejunal and rectal immunoglobulins of 16 children with partial IgA deficiency, defined as serum IgA concentration more than two standard deviations below the mean for age, but higher than the lower limit of sensitivity of single radial immunodiffusion (0.02 g/l). Five of the patients had been treated with phenytoin, 2 had juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, 2 had ulcerative colitis and 5 had recurrent upper respiratory tract infections. The jejunal morphology was normal in every case. In 6 cases normalization of serum IgA occurred during the follow-up, while in one patient with ulcerative colitis the concentration fell below 0.02 g/l. In patients with recurrent infections, there was a decreased frequency of infections when the level of serum igA increased. In 4 patients, IgM-containing cells prodominated in both the jejunal and rectal mucosa, and IgM was increased in the intestinal juice. In 6 patients a significant increase in IgM-containing cells or a decrease in IgA-containing cells or both were seen in either the rectal or jejunal mucosa. There was no correlation between the number of IgA-containing cells in the intestinal mucosa and the serum level of IgA.