IgA deficiency during aurothioglucose treatment. A case report

A 43-year-old woman with seronegative rheumatoid arthritis developed a selective IgA deficiency during aurothioglucose treatment. No antibodies against IgA were detectable in the serum; normal numbers of IgA, IgG and IgM positive cells were demonstrated by immunofluorescence studies on a biopsy specimen from the small intestine. These data would suggest a defect in IgA secretion rather than in production by plasma cells.