ANTIBODY DEFICIENCY DISORDER

Course overview

ANTIBODY DEFICIENCY DISORDERS MAY PRESENT SOON AFTER BIRTH WITH RECURRENT INFECTIONS. NORMAL INDIVIDUALS HAVE 5 CLASSES OF IMMUNOGLOBULINS AND SEVERAL IMMUNOGLOBULIN SUBCLASSES. ANTIBODY DEFICIENCY DISORDERS CAN OCCUR DUE TO SEVERAL DIFFERENT ETIOLOGIES. ONE POTENTIAL ETIOLOGY IS THE ABSENCE OF AN ENZYME THAT IS CENTRAL TO B-CELL DEVELOPMENT, RENDERING THE IMMATURE B-CELL UNABLE TO MATURE INTO AN ANTIBODY-PRODUCING B-CELL. ANOTHER POSSIBLE CAUSE IS IMPROPER SIGNALING FROM T LYMPHOCYTES TO B LYMPHOCYTES. THIS ACTIVITY EXAMINES WHEN AN ANTIBODY DEFICIENCY DISORDER SHOULD BE CONSIDERED ON DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS AND HOW TO PROPERLY EVALUATE IT. THIS ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN CARING FOR PATIENTS WITH THIS CONDITION.