New with questions about IgG sub 1 and 3

[iggshortofbreath]

I haven't been diagnosed yet, but looks like I'm on my way. I have low igG subclass 1 and 3 and I had pneumonia 3 weeks ago, I thought I was a gonner. I'm getting my vaccine antibody test soon. My Gia and ige were normal but my overall iGg was low.

To top it off I have had the worst unexplained breathing issues since I moved over a year ago. No asthma med helps and I have a bunch of weird triggers, like heat, cold, warm showers, fatigue, standing or walking too long..

Also I want to know if these two subclass could have been weakened from asthma inhaler steroid use?

Thanks for your help!

[iggshortofbreath]

Iga* stupid autocorrect lol also eating carbs makes it worse. I also had a lung staph nfection after a hospital stay 6 months ago.. These things are scarring me

[john]

hiya,
sorry you're not feeling at all well.
with low igg, replacement therapy should help you with future infections and infection rates.
sadly we are often diagnosed too late to get our full lung function back - pneumonia and infections damage our lungs irreversibly, the condition is called bronchiectasis, and most of us have that to a certain extent.
i can't imagine that asthma inhalers will have made any difference to your ig levels, low levels are something we either get born with or they turn up later in life.
i hope you get a speedy diagnosis one way or another. as you are now having the right tests, you are obviously seeing someone who knows about immunology, and that is a great step forward!
get well soon
take care - john

[liz2mac]

Hi iggshort of breath,
As John says, most of us who are undiagnosed for too long, end up with bronchiectasis. Also it takes months and months to fully recover from pneumonia and to get our lungs back to anything like working ok. Is is possible that you've still got fluid in your lungs from the infection? Have you been taught how to clear your lungs with specialist physiotherapy? Are you being seen by an Immunologist, cause you really should be, nobody else is properly qualified to give you appropriate care.
Liz

[bob]

Hello,
I am IgG1 & IgG3 deficient and specific antibody deficiency. Like many I was diagnosed very late after years of sinus and chest problems also with asthma. However replacement IgG therapy now keeps my breakthrough infections to a minimum, which get treated with IV antibiotics when they happen. So, regarding asthma treatment having an effect on IgG levels, I have never heard of that connection, or read anything connecting them. I was advised that IgG1 deficiency is considered to be the same as CVID, and IgG3 deficiency can cause sinus infections. In my case, starting replacement therapy (IV IgG) was the solution to all my problems, althoughI am still suffering a level of fatigue due to a low grade constant infection.
Hope that helps.
Bob