Infections Hypogammaglobulinemia Can Cause

Hypogammaglobulinemia is a disorder where the immune system is inhibited from making an adequate quantity of immunoglobulin antibodies. Immunoglobulins are a type of antibody that viruses, bacteria, animal dander, cancer cells, and fungi trigger the immune system to make as a response to the foreign substance. These antibodies are incredibly important because they are proteins that essentially put a tag on the foreign invaders so the body and immune system can recognize and subsequently attack them.

In individuals with hypogammaglobulinemia, the immune system is not able to adequately prevent infections from growing in the body. There are a number of infections a hypogammaglobulinemia patient can easily contract that can cause serious damage to organs and other life-threatening complications.

Meningitis

Meningitis is a disease that happens when the fluids surrounding the meninges cause an infection. The meninges are the brain and spinal cord's three protective membranes, and when the fluid around them becomes infected, the meninges become severely inflamed. This severe inflammation is what characterizes meningitis. Because the disease is caused by a bacterial infection, the immunoglobulin G antibodies are responsible for a good amount of the work it takes to fight this infection.

Immunoglobulin A antibodies are also very important because they are responsible for the protection of surfaces that come in contact with outside foreign substances like viruses, bacteria, and fungi. When an individual has hypogammaglobulinemia, their body cannot effectively make enough of both of these immunoglobulin antibodies that have the ability to fight off the infections that cause most cases of meningitis. Hypogammaglobulinemia patients often experience meningococcal infections that can lead to some permanent scarring on parts of the brain stem.

Bronchitis

Bronchitis occurs when the air channels that carry air into each lung or the bronchial tubes become very inflamed. There are several causes of the inflammation, however, one of the most common is from an infection. Infections that result from viruses such as adenovirus, influenza A and B, rhinovirus, and parainfluenza virus are all the most prevalent viruses that can cause the bronchial tube infections in healthy adults as well as hypogammaglobulinemia patients.

Bacteria can also cause bronchial tube infections to occur in individuals with hypogammaglobulinemia because they are more susceptible to bacteria types like Streptococcus pneumoniae, Moraxella catarrhalis, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Bordetella pertussis that adults with healthy immune systems are not typically susceptible to. Due the responsibility of the immunoglobulin A, G, and M antibodies for tagging foreign substances like viruses and bacteria in the mucous membranes of the nose, mouth, breathing passages, and lungs, a patient with hypogammaglobulinemia will experience bronchial tube inflammation inducing infections often because of the shortage of these antibodies in their system.

Pneumonia

Pneumonia mainly affects the air sacs in the lungs or the aveoli because it is an infection that triggers inflammation in those components of the lung. Both bacteria and viruses can be responsible for the infection much like the infections that cause bronchial inflammation. Viruses that cause this infection most often are respiratory syncytial virus, human parainfluenza virus, rhinovirus, influenza, and adenovirus. Bacteria that often cause the infection of the air sacs are streptococcus pneumoniae, mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Legionella. These viruses and bacteria can infect the body through mucous membrane contact with the air, objects, and bodily fluids of someone who is infected.

Hypogammaglobulinemia patients do not have immune systems with enough immunoglobulins to destroy most of these viruses and bacteria before they have a chance to enter into the body and reproduce. Serious complications and death can result from untreated infections of this kind because the constriction of the air channels in the lungs results in the buildup of mucus, which makes it hard for oxygen to reach the blood the way it usually would.

Respiratory Tract Infections

An infection of any part of the body involved in the process of breathing can be classified as a respiratory tract infection. An infection can occur in either the upper or the lower respiratory tract when viruses and bacteria enter the body through the mouth, nose, or airways. The sinuses, mouth, nose, throat, larynx, and pharynx are all of the upper respiratory components, while the alveoli, bronchioles, bronchi, and trachea are all the lower respiratory components. The common cold is one of the most prevalent respiratory tract infections.

It is imperative for individuals with a healthy immune system and even more so for those who have hypogammaglobulinemia to seek medical treatment for respiratory infections as they can cause deadly complications such as lung abscess, pleural effusion, deep vein thrombosis, septicemia, and bacteremia. Because there are reduced quantities of the immunoglobulin A and G antibodies, their immune system does not recognize viruses or bacteria that cause a respiratory infection to develop, and therefore allows it to manifest itself wherever it pleases in the body and reproduce itself. Hypogammaglobulinemia patients have a very high and increased risk of developing a respiratory tract infection on a frequent basis.

Ear Infections

Ear infections can happen quite frequently in patients with hypogammaglobulinemia because the bacteria that often cause them cannot be identified by the helper cells of the immune system, and they cannot destroy it before it causes a middle ear infection. The infection occurs when one of the Eustachian tubes, the tubes connecting the middle ear to the back of the throat, becomes blocked or swollen shut. Fluid and pressure then begin to build in the middle ear, allowing an ear infection to fester.

The common cold, infected tonsils, infected throat, and infections of the sinuses can all cause chronic infections of the ear, which means individuals with hypogammaglobulinemia have a higher susceptibility to developing ear infections as the result of an invasion of viruses or bacteria. Repeated ear infections can result in long term complications such as loss of hearing, mastoiditis, meningitis, permanent inner ear damage, and a ruptured eardrum.