A below normal concentration of gamma globulin in the blood associated with a decreased resistance to infection.
Lower than normal concentration of gamma globulins (immunoglobulins) in the blood, associated with an increased risk of infection. It may be congenital and transient (as in some infants), congenital and permanent (as in some sex- linked immune disorders), or acquired, as a result of kidney disease, exposure to certain drugs, or other factors.
An antibody deficiency that involves low levels of gamma globulin in the bloodstream and is characterized by both an immune system disorder and an autoimmune disorder. Gamma globulin is a class of immunoglobulin, IgG, that includes four kinds of antibodies. Normally, these antibodies enter tissue spaces and coat antigens, which makes the antigens readily absorbed by other cells involved in the immune system. In hypogammaglobulinemia (HGG), this function is disrupted. There is a depressed antibody response, and some of the antibodies that are produced attack the body’s own tissues. Sometimes certain blood cells, including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, are attacked and destroyed.
A deficiency of one or more of the five classes of immunoglobulins. It is caused by defective functioning of B lymphocytes. People who manufacture insufficient quantities of immunoglobulins become susceptible to infections from pyogenic organisms (e.g., staphylococci, streptococci, and pseudomonas species).