Antibody levels, IgG, IgA and IgM. Any advice?

[Mummyneedsacoffee65]

DD is nearly 18months. Since 6/7 months she’s had constant chest, ear infections, sinititus, tonsillitis. Which cause her to snore loudly and be unsettled. Her cough started in august and was consistent. We have been under PEDS from 3weeks old, due to reflux and allergies.

January: chest X-ray showed perihilar peribromchoal thickening and haziness. Bloods showed no antibody levels of pnemococcus and H influenza, even though she has been vaccinated. There were other low levels in her bloods or no detection.

FEB: some of her vaccinations have been repeated / boosted. She was given a long course of antibiotics. There was a drastic improvement in her general Health, cough stopped, and she was a lot happier.

MARCH: antibiotics finished, she became unwell within 48hours, cough returned, high temperature. After being admitted (again) it was agree she would continue Antibiotics for a few more weeks.

Blood test has been repeated, awaiting results. Chest X-ray showed a mild improvement.

Came off antibiotics again and we repeated the above. Another 2 week course started again with 3 days, as temperature was 40.3, and not coming down. Again drastic improvement within 48hours.

Someone has suggested asking the hospital if they can test the IgG, IgA and IgM levels (is this hasn’t already been done. Has anyone had these tests? Or been in a similar position.

We are due to see pediatrician and ENT later this month.

My son had these tests ordered by the consultant-he came back with low IGg twice - a one off did not count as diagnostic which means he gets ill quicker than others and means GP have lower threshold for treatment if unwell.

My understanding is he may grow out of it but if remains low threshold for treatment exists into adulthood.

There is no harm in asking for the tests - they may wish to do them anyway.

Hope the brighter weather sees an improvement in health -

@windowstothesoul
Thank you for replying. I hope your son has shown some signs of getting better. Can I ask does he suffer a lot with infections? Did this start at a young age?

I’m assuming they may have tested her at the beginning of the year, hence why we started long antibiotics and repeated vaccinations. I’m hoping spring, summer will make a difference this time round, but last year we struggled even through the summer months. Admitted 6 times into hospital with chest infections June-august, and required IV antibiotics.

Our little girl is nearly 2, she has low levels of igg and iga and low neutraphils. She is under pediatric care with a heamatologist and immunologist. She has luckily mainly been well but has a treatment plan of attending hospital immediately if she has a raised temperature for assessment. Depending on blood count she is either sent home or oral antibiotics or admitted to hospital for IV antibiotics and follow up. They tested her vaccination status recently and most of her vaccines showed an immune response although lower than is normal and only just above the minimum uptake, she is not allowed live vaccines such as mmr at the moment. One of her immune levels is improving and so we hope that she will improve in time based on feedback from her consultants. We found out when she was 6 weeks old by accident when she had a fever and a rash and had to be admitted to hospital. She's luckily been much less ill that your child, although she has had a few courses of antibiotics and a few overnight admissions to hospital. She has also had a cold or cough since September, but it doesn't go as she just catches something else as soon as she is better.

@Mmr224 aww sorry to read about your DD, I’m glad she is showing some signs of improvement though. I bet it’s so scary when she gets poorly, but you sound like you have a good plan in place, and regular monitoring. I hope her cough and cold improves, we are the same. Do you find this impacts her sleep? And eating?

I’m too hoping it improves with age. I get it’s a phase it shall pass, most children get bugs at this age etc. But this is constant and going on for over a year now. Along with delayed swallowing, allergies, reflux. It feels like we’ve been stuck in a rut, for a long time now, with no real explanation.

@Mummyneedsacoffee65 yes lots of repeated chest or throat infections - under chest consultants.

IGg bloods came from looking for a reason - also has low iron & awaiting cystic fibrosis test results - although newborn test was fine -

Awaiting tonsils out to try and help and has an unsafe/delayed swallow which needs thickened fluids otherwise aspirates and gets another infection.

Also reflux & allergies - Having an older one who was similar I know it does get better, my son is now on preventative antibiotics over winter which has helped -

Ask any questions- we are further down the road & older one was super similar - thickened fluids and prevention antibiotics for winter - older one had 13 antibiotics before 1 - much better now-

I'd be very surprised if they hadn't already done immunoglobulins back when they did functional antibodies (the response to the vaccines).

@windowstothesoul thank you. I’m sorry you’ve had such a rough ride with your DC too. I hope any further tests are ok.

DD also aspirated a lot, weaning was a nightmare and we are still on small steps. fluoroscopy and barium swallowed showed she was delayed too, So use thickener. But this is getting a lot better, last test done this week. I can’t believe the progress in the last few months, especially since starting the antibiotics.

Hope you don’t have to wait too long for the tonsils. We have an appointment with ENT this month to review, and post nasal drip. Are your DC a lot older?

I’m hoping this will get easier, I’m a single parent, and the juggle of illnesses, appointments, finances and work is tiring. I would just like to have some answers, but understand that’s not always easy.

@nocoolnamesleft I assume so. The pediatrician is nice, but most of the communication is through the GP. It’s hard in the appointments having a toddler (who’s bored after waiting) on my own, and trying to listen to everything, whilst trying to make sure she doesn’t unplug the computer 😂. I’m hoping to try go in more prepared this time round, with questions.

My ds had nearly exactly the same as @Mmr224 but we’re further along the road he is now 7 he stopped being neutropenia at 2 after the dreaded bone marrow biopsy. diagnosed with a primary immunodeficiency at around 1 at 7 he takes an antibiotic 3 days a week monteklast for what we now know as asthma lanzoprazole for on going reflux issues he’s doing well and he has caught up with his vaccines when he gets ill he gets really quite unwell it lasts along time but never been in picu and hasn’t been admitted to hospital for over a year still has eczema but grown out of the milk allergy we where so worried and so where his drs and so where his drs when he was a baby he was born prematurely and they think that may have been the reason for a lot of his problems as he’s had some genetic testing that is normal. He is now only under respiratory, immunology and ent of and dermatology.