Need help understanding IgG blood test results...

[EAMom]

Judy...how low was your son's Vitamin D level? I think that is interesting since you live in So. Cal.

 

Is your son light skinned? Darker skinned folks (okay, I'm trying not to sound racist! ) have more melanin so they have a harder time absorbing UV rays/making vit. D. My Indian friend had low vitamin D (Northern Ca) and is fairly dark skinned. On the other hand, dh hardly ever goes outside but his levels were okay. I would imagine African Americans in the Northern US would have a real problem getting enough Vitamin D without supplements.

 

On the topic of Vitamin D...this is my friend's mother-in-law's blog http://stephanie-on-health.blogspot.com/se...p;max-results=4 Stephanie is a PhD researcher at MIT (although her field is not health/medicine). She has some interesting insights on Vitamin D and low fat diets.

[Suzan]

I'm chiming in late here but below are our results with the lab ranges in ( ). Our immunologist saw these tests as AOK. We were hoping to find something so insurance would pay for IVIG. She is a low strep pnemo responder but our immunologist didn't see that as significant either.

 

IgG - 822 (572-1474)

IgG1 - 502 (432 - 1020)

IgG2 - 153 (72 - 430)

IgG3 - 54 (13 - 85)

IgG4 - 30.9 (2 - 95)

 

We have tested vit. D levels and I was surprised with a really good high number.

 

Susan

[Diana]

 

Judy - these numbers are what we are seeing for kids with PANDAS that have had long term health issues of some sort. LOW END OF NORMAL. It is part of the clinical picture. No, the kids are not in the catastrophic range where an Immunologist, who doesn't understand pandas, would be alarmed.

 

HOWEVER, these numbers show a TAXED immune system. I showed these numbers (my son's were nearly identical to yours in IGG levels) and Dr. Cunningham (immunolgist) said, "These show an immune system that is struggling."

 

These are the kinds of numbers Bouboulis (immuno in CT) has treated for pandas and has gotten insurance to cover. But you have to find a doctor who will consider the entire history of the child: repeated strep infections (your son); repeated fevers and croupy coughs for years (my son); failure of vaccines (your son and have dozen others); pale palor, dark circles, exhaustion. I mean REALLY it doesn't take a brilliant person to understand the child is struggling.

 

So, this is NEW. This IGG consideration. Certainly NOT ALL PANDAS KIDS HAVE LOW IGG nor do all fail their Strep Pneumo vaccines. But strep is a tricky bugger and quite difficult to detect apparently if it has gone intracellular. So, as a mom, trust your instincts.

 

AFTER my son's second IVIG; 6 months later: His IGG went up 100 points ---- and he is symptoms free, I believe, from PANDAS. But for me, NO, insurance did not cover a thing.