title: Acquired total immunoglobulin G deficiency in a patient with primary biliary cirrhosis.
abstract: A 38-year-old Japanese woman was hospitalized for susceptibility to respiratory tract infections. Clinical examinations revealed asymptomatic primary cholestasis, abnormally elevated immunoglobulin M (IgM) and antimitochondrial antibody, being consistent with asymptomatic primary biliary cirrhosis. Three years later her serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) decreased remarkably, whereas other immunoglobulins were unchanged. Immunological examinations on the peripheral blood lymphocytes demonstrated spontaneous over-synthesis of serum IgM and decreased synthesis of IgG due to abnormal function of both T and B cells. Our case suggests a new possible association between primary biliary cirrhosis and IgG deficiency.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Kusatsu Branch Hospital, Gunma University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Take
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kubota
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kurabayashi
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shirakura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017099:IgG Deficiency / Q000209:etiology*; D008105:Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / Q000150:complications*