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Causes of increased and decreased IgG-carrying B-lymphocytes in blood
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
An increase in the number of IgG-bearing B-lymphocytes in the blood is typical for resolving inflammatory processes. In clinical practice, when monitoring the course of an inflammatory process, it is very important to simultaneously determine the number of IgM-bearing and IgG-bearing B-lymphocytes. In the normal course of an inflammatory process, an increase in IgM-bearing B-lymphocytes is typical in its acute phase; resolution of the inflammatory process is accompanied by a decrease in the number of these lymphocytes and an increase in the content of IgG-bearing B-lymphocytes. Violation of these patterns indicates a deficiency of humoral immunity and indicates the link due to which it is impaired.
An increase in the number of B-lymphocytes carrying IgG is characteristic of myeloma, which synthesizes IgG.
Diseases and conditions that lead to changes in the number of B-lymphocytes carrying IgG
- Chronic bacterial, fungal and parasitic infections
- HIV infection
- Chronic liver diseases (viral hepatitis, cirrhosis)
- Autoimmune diseases
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
- Rheumatism, collagenoses
- Sarcoidosis, cystic fibrosis
- Waldenstrom's disease
- Infectious mononucleosis
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia
- Myeloma disease
- Monoclonal gammopathy
- Convalescence of primary bacterial infection
- Acute period of re-infection
Decrease in the indicator
- Physiological hypogammaglobulinemia (in children aged 3-5 months)
- Congenital hypogammaglobulinemia or agammaglobulinemia
- Diseases that lead to depletion of the immune system:
- neoplasms of the immune system;
- treatment with cytostatics and immunosuppressants;
- ionizing radiation
- Hemoglobinopathies
- Condition after removal of the spleen
- Chronic viral infection