6 Yr old

[sampsta]

Hello my 6 year old has been re occuring colds and lung infections about every 8 -10 weeks. The first round of blood word showed a high level of immunoglobin, dont know which ones yet, he is doing more blood work to find out which one.

He had an allergy test before and reacted to almost everything. What are the chances he might have a form of cancer or something? has anyone else seen this

[Dr Rajput]

Hi, concurrent allergy is making things worse. He may be allergic to home dust or molds. In such cases, you can try changing the place. This may help.

[Dr Rajput]

Hi, currently he needs a symptomatic therapy and control of infections. Later further investigations can be done. IgA deficiency should be ruled out.

[sampsta]

Our son has started up again with the coughing wheezing runny nose that is turning yellow.

So is this an IG deficiency or what else could be going on

[sampsta]

Dear Dr Rajput:

The CF test came back negative. We are waiting on more bloodwork at this point. We are giving him a neb of pulmacort with albuteral when needed. It helps a bit but he is still getting the wheezing and coughing.

We removed some pets from the home in hopes that this will also improve his symptoms. What immune disorders will come back with a high IG that can cause this wheezing and coughing and sniffing all the time?

[Dr Rajput]

Hi, yes, cough can occur on daily basis which can be associated with the sputum. Post nasal drip is not associated with cystic fibrosis but can be seen secondary to sinusitis, as upper respiratory tract infections are common in this case. Take care and regards.

[sampsta]

One more question, if our son along with the junky cough has constant sniffing and post nasal drip, can CF be a cause of those symptoms as well?

[sampsta]

Thank you for your response. We are having the sweat test done on Friday to rule out CF. What are the treatment options for over active IgA.

We havent noticed a high "sweaty" taste on our son after he has sweated. My understanding is that we re absorb most of the chloride back into our bodies after we swet.

We kiss and hug him all the time, so i dont think that will be it either.

[Dr Rajput]

Hi, welcome to the forum, I can appreciate your concern towards your son. The repeated respiratory tract infections mainly points towards immunodeficiency (selective IgA deficiency in his case), congenital heart disease and genetic disorder like cystic fibrosis. It is mandatory to rule out the cause and should be treated accordingly by conservative or definitive management.

Treatment will be in the form of management of infection involving the lower respiratory tract. Existing allergic rhinitis and asthma should be ruled out and aggressive management is required in such cases. A six month course of daily prophylactic antibiotics should be considered for continued infections. Gamma globulin replacement therapy may be warranted in patients with recurrent infections but benefit is marginal because it does not result in appearance of the IgA at the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract.

Cystic fibrosis usually presents as persistent pulmonary infection, pancreatic insufficiency, and elevated sweat chloride levels. The diagnosis can be made on the basis of presenting symptoms, Sweat chloride, Molecular diagnosis and Nasal potential difference measurements. To rule out the congenital heart disease careful cardiac examination should be done and looked for murmurs.

Hypergammaglobinemia can be seen in sjogren's syndrome or sarcoidosis. It is unlikely to be a cancer. I suggest you to consult pediatrician and discuss regarding the appropriate treatment strategies. At the same time maintenance of absolute cleanliness, drinking of purified water should be employed to prevent source of infection. Take care and regards.