The significance of immunoglobulins in cystic fibrosis: Normal or high?

INTRODUCTION: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is characterized by local and chronic inflammation accompanied by increased neutrophil and macrophage counts, high elastase levels, and inflammatory cytokines due to impaired haemostasis. Changes in immunoglobulin levels (Ig) may occur due to recurrent chronic infections and may be associated with the deterioration of respiratory functions. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the interaction of high Ig levels with respiratory functions and chronic infections in CF.
METHODS: The diagnosis of the patients CF was made in accordance with the “National Cystic Fibrosis Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines”. The sociodemographic characteristics, immunoglobulin values, and the pulmonary function tests were evaluated according to children age group.
RESULTS: A total of 107 patients were included in the study. The patients’ median age was 65 (6–200) months. It was found that patients with high IgG (p = 0.01) and IgA (p < 0.001) values had more moderate-to-severe respiratory function than those with normal values. Also, there was no statistically significant difference when the patients were compared for P. aeruginosa colonization using IgG levels (p = 0.51), Ig A levels (p = 0.16) and Ig M levels (p =0.34).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Elevated IgG and IgA levels in patients with CF may be an indirect indicator of deterioration in pulmonary function tests. There was no significant difference in IgG, IgA, and Ig M levels for P. aeruginosa colonization. We recommend that the results of our study be supported by cohort studies.