IV. A 28 years old man was presented to having fever and fatigue. He had difficu

Question

IV. A 28 years old man was presented to having fever and fatigue. He had difficulty breathing but all bacteriology related work indicated no causative agent. The patient Igs levels were tested and there was a slightly elevated IgE level. The patient showed no allergies to any of the agents in the allergy test.

What other test you would do to determine the cause of the illness? Why would you take such a step?

2 .Why IgE levels are important in this case? Why IgE is referred to as the only harmful antibody?
3. What does fever mean in general and why is it not looked at as a specific symptom?

4.How could levels of Immunoglobulins assist in determine the type of antigen a person is infected with? Give examples of how levels of Igs can assist to determine the causative agent.

Explanation / Answer

IV. 1. The other step i would take would be to order allergen-specific IgE test. I would do these tests so that a conclusive diagnosis of patient's allergy can be done. For example: If I suspect that the allergy is cat specific then I will order a cat danger IgE test.

2. IgE levels are important in this case because IgE antibodies with diverse and critical specificities display an additive effect for triggering inflammatory cells. IgE is termed as the only harmful antibody because it has no specific role in immune functions in the body and can cause a cascade of allergic reactions when it binds to mast cells causing inflammation.

3. When body has tempertaure over its normal range due to increase in body's temperature set point then that condition is known as pyrexia or fever. It is not looked at as specific symptom because fever may be caused due to a variety of diseases and illnesses. Having fever indicates that body functions are not running smoothly but the causative agent of illness cannot be known by fever alone.

4. Levels of immunoglobulin assist in determining the type of antigen a person is infected with. The reason behind this is simple. Against a specific antigen if an antibody is produced once then next time that antigen enters body our immune system recollects its response and same antibodies are produced in the body. Thus, when we check immunoglobulin levels, the presence and amount of certain immunoglobulins in the blood can play a critical role in diagnosing a disease or ruling out infections or other illnesses.

For example: Increased levels of IgG in blood can be an indicator of Chronic active autoimmune hepatitis or intrauterine infection. Also, HIV is a virus which can be detected by testing immunoglobulin levels in blood.

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