Secondary antibody deficiency and immunoglobulin replacement

• Main Authors: Li Philip H., Lau Chak-Sing
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sciendo 2017-07-01
• Series: Hong Kong Bulletin on Rheumatic Diseases
• Subjects: secondary; antibody deficiency; hypogammaglobulinemia; humoral deficiency; immunodeficiency
• Online Access: http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/hkbrd.2017.17.issue-1/hkbrd-2017-0001/hkbrd-2017-0001.xml?format=INT

Antibody deficiencies can be either primary or secondary, leading to significant morbidity and mortality without appropriate management. Secondary antibody deficiency can be due to various diseases or iatrogenic causes, especially with the use of immunosuppressive agents such as B-cell depleting therapies. Unlike its primary counterpart, little is known regarding the management of secondary antibody deficiency and it remains an underappreciated entity. This is a growing concern with the growing numbers of patients on various immunosuppressant therapies and increasing survivors of autoimmune diseases and haematological malignancies. In this report, we review the diagnosis and management of secondary antibody deficiency, especially after rituximab-induced hypogammaglobulinemia.