Hello everybody - my first post here, although I have been reading the posts for some time.
I want to ask how some people [ for example, Margaret in Italy ] seem to be able to use their total IgG levels to monitor their MM, rather than using the M-spike? I am confused as to how this could work, as I have always understood that IgG levels will always naturally fluctuate in all individuals, according to whatever infection challenges the body is dealing with [ eg. just normal colds and so on ]. My own doctors [ here in England ] don't pay any attention to my total IgG levels but only look at the M-spike.
I'm referring here to people who have IgG MM of course [ mine is IgG kappa, smouldering since Dx in 2000, around 38 g/L ]. For those who have IgA or IgE MM, can they use total Ig levels to monitor theirs too?
I'd be grateful for any explanations as to how this works. Thanks for a great list facility!
best to all,
Kate Francis
Hi Kate and everyone,
Here in Italy there are different schools of thought. My haematologist is not a believer in the m-spike, she told me it is too variable (but there are other doctors who look only at the m-spike, go figure). She looks at the monoclonal component, which is tested over here.
It is only recently that I discovered that an increase in total IgG could be due to an increase in the GOOD IgG as the result, as you point out, of an infection or whatnot. What can I say? I am not a biologist so I didn't know any better. Now I do. So I have begun to disregard the total IgG and look more at the monoclonal component and the m-spike. My haematologist finally explained this all to me two days ago. She confirmed that total IgG is bad and good, together.
Hope this helps.
Margaret. Florence, Italy. Blog URL: http://margaret.healthblo...
My oncologist is also basically concered with the m spike. Healthy individuals or those in CR would still have IGG but would not have a M spike. This is particuarly true if you IGG is within "normal" limits but you still have a m spike. I understand that this would mean you still have disease process occuring but at a slower rate then if your IGG and m spike were higher. Hope this helps.
Mary Jo
It is only the multiple copies of your monoclonol IgG (M-spike) that are non functional and crowd out and plug up everything. The rest of your IgG are the good guys that fight off infection.
Terry
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