New here and asking for help in understanding my 7 yr old son's test results

[Elizabeth Hoffmann]

New here and asking for help in understanding my 7 yr old son's blood test results [IgG & IgA].  Please respond if you can help. Also, how do I attach a pic or jpeg file so you can see the results.   thanks

[twinturbo]

Those are not allergy tests. There's no way to interpret them as such. Who ordered those tests and why?

My biggest concern by far is your child may have an IgE-mediated allergy and you won't get a correct diagnosis and emergency action plan for anaphylaxis. If it's a case of alt med sending you on a goose chase that's a lesser concern. Let's sort out the life and death issues first.

Then there's the third potential problem still related to misdiagnosis. I know of IgA deficiency as it is a immune system problem but few here would know about it enough to help because it's not allergy. The care and management is going to be different. And in these things you need the correct diagnosis for best management of outcomes.

[CMdeux]

You can't really attach a file-- you CAN, if you like, upload a scanned image to a website like Photobucket, flickr, etc. and then use the image button above to embed the url.

Or you can just report what it says.

On the other hand, I agree with TT that the first thing to determine is why those tests were ordered in the first place, and what kind of practitioner you've been working with.

Welcome to FAS-- I hope that you'll find us a warm and helpful group. 

[LinksEtc]

What symptoms does your son get and do those symptoms appear to be related to certain foods?

Have you seen an allergist?

For myself, I don't like to post too much personal info (full name, copies of medical tests, etc.) for privacy reasons, but some people are comfortable sharing more .... once it's posted, you can never fully take it back ... just something to think about, especially when posting about our kids.

Welcome!

[twinturbo]

Elizabeth you posted in another thread that your son has food intolerances. While this may or may not be an accurate diagnosis these tests do not reflect an intolerance. You have the right to know that IgG is used to measure tolerance, not intolerance. You also have the right to know that IgA deficiency is real and can be related to other autoimmune issues.

http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/resourcespre.php?id=72

I see patients every week who have had IgG testing for food allergy, in which their blood was tested for IgG antibodies instead of IgE antibodies (the antibodies typically associated with allergies). These patients often come in on extremely restricted diets because they had tested positive to so many things. This is no surprise though because a normal immune system is supposed to make IgG antibodies to foreign proteins, and a positive IgG test to a food is therefore a sign of a normal immune system rather than a sign of food allergy.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/selective-iga-deficiency/basics/definition/con-20037196

Selective IgA deficiency is an immune system condition in which you lack or don't have enough immunoglobulin A (IgA), a protein that fights infection (antibody). Most people with selective IgA deficiency don't have recurrent infections. However, some people who have IgA deficiency experience recurrent respiratory tract infections, asthma, sinus infections, allergies and diarrhea.

Selective IgA deficiency may also be found with autoimmune disease, in which your immune system attacks itself. Common autoimmune conditions found with IgA deficiency include rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and celiac disease.

The point is using those tests under the assumption they are (1) allergy tests (2) related to foods *could* be quite dangerous because they do not measure allergy or intolerance to foods, possibly leaving undiagnosed an underlying issue known to medicine requiring management by current best practices.

This is all assuming of course your child is not actually experiencing IgE-related symptoms and reactions--which we can't even begin to know without knowing the symptoms.

Bottom line is your child deserves the correct diagnosis for best outcome and management.