title: Frequency of selective IgA deficiency among Brazilian blood donors and healthy pregnant women.
abstract: Selective IgA deficiency (SIgAD) is the most common primary immunodeficiency, with frequencies ranging from 1:300 to 1:3,000 in populations surveyed in Europe and the US. In the present study we tested 11,576 clinically healthy persons (blood donors and pregnant women) for SIgAD (serum IgA less than 5 mg%). Serum samples were screened by double immunodiffusion with a sheep anti-human alpha-chain (minimal detection level of 30 mg%). Samples showing negative or doubtful reactions were submitted to the radial immunodiffusion test (minimal detection level of 0.5 mg%). For the samples with low or undetectable IgA levels, IgG and IgM concentrations were also determined. We found 12 individuals with SIgAD and 2 with deficiency of the 3 immunoglobulin classes. The prevalence of SIgAD in this Brazilian population (1:965) is equivalent to values reported for other countries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Instituto Adolfo Lutz, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Carneiro-Sampaio
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Carbonare
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Rozentraub
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: de Araújo
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Riberiro
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Porto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000361:Agammaglobulinemia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001782:Blood Donors; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017098:IgA Deficiency; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*