A quantitative nephelometry blood test measures the levels of three immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG, and IgM) to determine if the body is producing the correct antibodies to defend itself. Abnormal levels can indicate various conditions or diseases, and doctors examine each level individually and in groups for more confident diagnoses.
Doctors measure the amount of immunity-imparting proteins in the human body with a blood test called quantitative nephelometry. Specifically, the test detects the levels of three distinct immunoglobulins, or antibodies, commonly indicated with the letters IgA, IgG and IgM. When deficiencies or excesses are noted for any of the three quantitative levels of immunoglobulins, it could indicate any number of conditions or diseases.
A functioning immune system will naturally produce the amount of antibodies needed to fight most antigens encountered by the body throughout life, from bacterial infections and cancers to toxic substances and other foreign bodies. However, many conditions or diseases can thwart this system, such as autoimmune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), lupus, multiple sclerosis, chronic thyroid disease, and even arthritis. These are some of the conditions that a quantitative immunoglobulin test seeks to identify.
When a quantitative immunoglobulin test reveals normal results, it means that all three antibodies are present at the prescribed levels. This means that IgA is between 100 and 400 mg/dL, IgG between 560 and 1,800 mg/dL, and IgM between 45 and 250 mg/dL. This indicates that the body is likely to deploy the correct array of antibodies to defend itself in a healthy way. When patients have levels above or below any of the three ranges, a critical step has been taken to help a doctor determine if they have a disorder that needs treatment.
When IgA levels are too high or too low, digestive problems may occur. An infection, irritable bowel syndrome, myeloma, or any other digestive tract disease are potential suspects. The other two antibody measurements, in contrast, mean different things depending on whether the level is too high or too low.
With IgG, low levels on a quantitative immunoglobulin test could mean leukemia, myeloma, and preeclampsia. However, raised IgG could mean the onset of other serious conditions such as an infection, liver disease or chronic arthritis. High and low levels of IgM, alike, indicate different conditions: lymphatic, arthritis, or monomucleosis if elevated; leukemia, myeloma and other rarer conditions if low.
Because some conditions are manifested by decreases or increases in more than one antibody that is measured with the quantitative immunoglobulin test, doctors and laboratory technicians examine each level individually and in groups to make more confident diagnoses. In many cases, patients are given quantitative immunoglobulin testing when they have a chronic infection. This can lead a doctor to suspect that the patient has some condition that is compromising the immune system.
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