Capillary immunotyping electrophoresis and high resolution two-dimensional electrophoresis for the detection of mu-heavy chain disease.
Heavy chain disease with monoclonal incomplete mu-heavy chains (mu-HCD) is a rare disorder usually associated with an underlying lymphoproliferative malignancy. Laboratory diagnosis of patients with mu-HCD is usually challenging and the monoclonal protein is not detected by electrophoresis in up to 75% of mu-HCD cases. We describe a patient with multiple malignancies in whom we detected and characterized monoclonal mu-heavy chains using immunofixation electrophoresis, capillary zone electrophoresis with immunotyping, and high resolution two-dimensional electrophoresis. The high resolution 2D electrophoresis enabled us to determine the molecular weight of the mu-heavy chains. The abnormal protein concentration in the serum was unusually high, 38 g/l measured in our patient is the highest reported value in the literature so far.
2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Clinical Haematology, Charles University Hospital, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic. maisnar@seznam.cz
V
V
Maisnar
M
M
Tichy
J
J
Stulik
P
P
Urban
Z
Z
Adam
E
E
Kadlckova
J
J
Vavrova
V
V
Palicka
L
L
Jebavy
R
R
Kodet
T
T
Buchler
R
R
Hajek
D019075:Electrophoresis, Capillary / Q000379:methods*; D015180:Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / Q000032:analysis*; D008232:Lymphoproliferative Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008875:Middle Aged
D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains