by Pfiesty

Has anybody else heard about the correlations between IgG2 deficiency and H1N1 severity?

Some of our docs have been testing our severely ill H1N1 patients for months (and I have seen IgG 2 results as 30% of normal in the ones in ICU) and now there have been articles in the press with other facilities observing this. In time, if it is real it will make the journals. Until then, we'll have to rely on anecdotal "evidence."

Anyone else?

Re: IgG2 defiency and H1N1 severity

Yes this was in the news and indigogirl posted it
http://allnurses.com/pandemic-flu-fo...es-424263.html

I guess this is the reason the bloodbank is strongly encouraging volunteers to donate.

Re: IgG2 defiency and H1N1 severity

Thanks for finding that link, dishes. I was trying to remember where it went...

Re: IgG2 defiency and H1N1 severity

are they being treated with IVIG?

Re: IgG2 defiency and H1N1 severity

[quote=morte;3957879]are they being treated with IVIG?[/quote

I believe some doctors are planning to treat this way, because the article says "Three of four critically ill patients treated with immune globulin survived, defying predictions of those caring for them."..... "he does think the notion of treating pandemic flu patients with antibodies harvested from other people makes sense, though he believes the immune globulin should be from people who've recovered from swine flu and have antibodies specific to the virus"
In addition after this news was published, I received a call from the bloodbank requesting blood to help treat people with H1N1 and was told it would be even better if I already had antibodies to H1n1.

regards
dishes

Re: IgG2 defiency and H1N1 severity

Just to clarify the bloodbank was originally phoning to encourage donors to come out because of concerns that the H1N1 pandemic could mean a drop in donors and a drop in staff available to draw blood. It then turned in to a discussion about the possibility of immune globulin treatment and how having antibodies would be beneficial.

dishes