Investigations

 Week of 11/6/20

This week since our case study had more to do with IgA deficiency, which is a topic we briefly went over in class, I wanted to further expound on my research. Specifically, I wanted to figure out the4 pathophysiology of how this disease comes about. Since IgA is one of the various subtypes of antibodies, it plays a huge role in fighting off bacterial infections. In my research, those with IgA immunodeficiency typically respond well to vaccines. Those with this deficiency may be symptomatic or asymptomatic. Although, a large majority are typically asymptomatic which is why the disease may go undetected for so long. As we know, it IgA is the second most common antibody and is found on mucosal barriers such as the respiratory and digestive tracts. In addition to being found in saliva, tears, and breastmilk. In infants, breastmilk provides a defense mechanism against infections in the early stages of their life. Furthermore, as I got deeper in my research it was found that certain medications also seem to provoke the onset of IgA deficiency. Some of these drugs include D Penicillamine and Phenytoin. As far as the pathophysiology of IgA, the chief defect sees to be immunoglobulin class switching so IgA bearing B lymphocytes can't differentiate into IgA secreting plasma cells. Stem cells are the major component that can cause this especially when it involves bone marrow transplantation. Impaired or decreased T helper cells as well as defective B cell signaling which help with the cytokine effect in secondary lymphoid organs may also contribute to the defect in antibody production. In conclusion, I was able to determine that the cause of IgA deficiency was either by taking certain meds or immunoglobulin class switching. 


Source: 

Rawla, Prashanth. “IgA Deficiency.” StatPearls [Internet]., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 3 June 2020, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538205/. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538205/ 

informative Peer reviewed research article 


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