Re: sinus infections/Tammy

[Guest guest]

Tammy,

Have they checked his IgA? Have they checked his IgG subclasses? Have they seen how he responds to the pneumovax/prevnar vaccines (that checks if his IgG is working - sometimes, you can have enough IgG but it doesn't work well)?

Anne R

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I'm trying to write this for the 3rd time b/c I keep getting bumped off aol! Argh. So, here goes.... First of all, make sure your son does not get any vaccinations that are from live viruses (I know that the oral polio is from an altered live virus and, perhaps, the varicella - but I'm not so sure about that one). Children with immune deficiencies who get the live virus vaccine type are very susceptible to getting the virus that they are vaccinating against. B/c the body does not mount a sufficient antibody response, the child ends up getting the disease from the vaccine. The expert immunologists feel that the dead vaccines are safe but caution strongly against live vaccines. I'm a drs daughter and a proponent of vaccines but I'd never give a child one of the "live" vaccines.

Okay, Have they tested your son's IgG subclass levels? You can have a normal IgG level but have a deficiency in one of the subclasses and this will typically make you more susceptible to different infections, etc. Also, it is possible to have normal levels of IgG and IgG subclasses and still not have them work well. They test this by giving the child one of the vaccines made from the dead virus. If the child does not mount a sufficient antibody response, they might revaccinate and see if he does make sufficient antibodies the 2nd time. If he doesn't, then he has a problem with his immune system. I believe tetanus antibodies are related to the IgG 2 subclass and would suggest that he might be more vulnerable to the sugar-coated bacteria which makes him more vulnerable to sinus infections and pneumonias.

Allright, in terms of IVIG, it sounds like your ENT means well (better, IMHO, than the immunologist) to suggest IVIG, but he may not be right in terms of the length of time your child would need to take the IVIG before you saw a change. Typically, I think it's one to 2 years of IVIG every 3-4 weeks before people see a really noticeable change. But, please believe me, that IVIG has given me my quality of life back.

In my opinion, you need a better immunologist. I will ask the other parents on the PID (primary immune deficiency) one list and see if they know of anyone. Also, are you interested in joining the list? I can find out how. It's been so long I forgot.

I hope this helps.

Anne R