Autoantibodies in patients with IgA and IgG2 deficiencies

Familial aggregation of IgAD and autoimmunity

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of autoimmunity is thought to be increased among IgA deficient (IgAD) individuals. However, it is currently unclear if the two conditions coincide within families.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the prevalence of autoimmunity among IgAD individuals and their 1 degrees relatives.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A total of 43 IgAD individuals (32 adults and 11 children) and all available 1 degrees relatives were evaluated by a physician. A family history of autoimmunity was obtained, together with physical examination and a structured questionnaire that focused on symptoms and signs suggestive of autoimmunity.

RESULTS

Eight of the 32 (25%) adult IgAD, were found to have definite autoimmunity, with organ specific- and systemic autoimmune diseases equally distributed. None of the IgAD children had autoimmunity. Among the 1 degrees relatives, 27/269 (10%) had autoimmunity, compared to an estimate of 5% in the general population (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Autoimmune diseases are highly prevalent in individuals with IgAD and more common in their 1 degrees relatives than expected, thus, suggesting a possible common genetic component.

DNA typing of DQ and DR alleles in IgA-deficient subjects

IgA deficiency (IgA-D) represents the most common immunodeficiency syndrome of infancy. In most cases IgA-D represents an isolated immunological disorder, while sometimes it is associated with IgG subclass deficiency or with the presence of autoantibodies. We investigated the pattern of association of IgA-D with DRB1 and DQB1 loci of the HLA region by DNA molecular typing, which allows the identification of previously serologically undefined specificities. We also compared the gene frequency of DRB1 and DQB1 allelic variants between IgA-D subjects with or without serum autoantibodies. Our results indicate that the gene frequency of the DRB1*0102 subtype and of the DRB1*0102, DQB1*0501 haplotype is significantly higher in IgA-D than in the general population. Furthermore, the IgA-D subjects with autoantibodies showed a positive association with DR4 and DR13 subtypes, thus supporting the hypothesis that genetic factors are also involved in the association between IgA-D and autoantibodies.

Multireactive pattern of serum autoantibodies in asymptomatic individuals with immunoglobulin A deficiency

Selective immunoglobulin A (IgA) deficiency (sIgAD) is associated with certain autoimmune states. Increased production of autoantibodies and eventual development of overt autoimmune disease are related in part to genetic and environmental factors as well as to the immune deficiency. We surveyed serum specimens from 60 healthy subjects with sIgAD for the presence of 21 different autoantibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The frequencies of 16 autoantibodies were higher in sIgAD patients than in normal healthy controls. Autoantibodies to Jo-1 (28%), cardiolipin (21%), phosphatidylserine (20%), Sm (15%), asialo-GM1 (21%), sulfatide (32%), sulfoglucuronyl paragloboside (11%), and collagen type I (10%) were detected at high frequencies in comparison to those of normal healthy controls. Many of the serum samples were multireactive (i.e., exhibited binding to more than two autoantigens). Forty percent (24 of 60) of sIgAD serum samples reacted against six or more autoantigens; 10% (6 of 60) of sIgAD serum samples were not reactive with any of the 21 autoantigens. Three percent (7 of 209) of consecutive serum samples submitted for autoimmune antibody analysis that were positive for autoantibodies were from patients with IgA deficiency. Our finding of an increased frequency of autoantibodies in sIgAD patients supports the notion of polyclonal stimulation by repeated environmental stimuli as an etiologic mechanism. Alternatively, the increased frequency may be caused by a dysregulation of the immune response in such individuals. The mere detection of autoantibodies cannot predict whether a subject with sIgAD will develop an autoimmune disease or determine which specific disease will emerge.

IgA anaphylactic transfusion reactions

IgA anaphylactic transfusion reactions are rare events, estimated to occur in 1 in 20,000 to 47,000 transfusions. The signs and symptoms of these reactions do not differentiate them from other causes of anaphylaxis. The diagnosis of an anaphylactic transfusion reaction is established by showing an IgA-antibody in the patient's serum. Most laboratories that test for IgA antibodies rely on the PHA method, which uses red blood cells that are coated with serologically defined IgA multiple myeloma proteins. We tested sera referred from Red Cross regional blood centers and hospitals from patients with suspected IgA anaphylactic reactions and found an IgA antibody in 76.3% of IgA-deficient patients. However, only 17.5% of all samples referred contained an IgA antibody, indicating that most persons with suspected IgA anaphylactic reactions had experienced acute generalized reactions that were from causes other than anti-IgA transfusion. Using PHIA to measure serum concentrations of IgA and PHA to detect IgA antibodies, we found the frequency of IgA deficiency (< 0.05 mg/dL) and class-specific anti-IgA in random blood donors to be approximately 1 in 1,200. Titers of anti-IgA did not distinguish these seemingly healthy blood donors from patients with a history of an anaphylactic transfusion reaction. Because the frequency of 1 in 1,200 greatly exceeds the observed frequency of anaphylactic reactions in transfused persons, we conclude that using PHA for anti-IgA does not reliably predict risk for an anaphylactic transfusion reaction. Additional research is needed to define a more specific marker to identify those persons who are truly at risk for these serious, but rare, complications of blood transfusion.