saraeli said...
Girlie, have your immunoglobulin subclass levels been checked? My white blood cell counts are back into range (they were low for a few years) but I have low immunoglobulin subclass 1, which produces neutrophils and fights viruses and bacteria. This classifies me as immunocompromised, including at much greater risk of long-COVID and other post-viral illnesses. For this reason, my family is extremely careful about potential pathogen exposure. Might be good to know?
Saraeli and anyone else curious about
immune levels-
There are many names / labels for low immune cells. Plus there are obviously many different "immune cells". I have two under range immunoglobulins as well as low range T and B cells(they have been under too). I do not get sick.
[Note: Ive officially had this for about
seven years. I did NOT have it when my lyme symptoms were at their worst point, it appeared at the end of lyme treatment. Like my immune cells took a beating and never recovered. (No, I do not have remaining chronic tick infection for those assuming so). This might be part of the damage it does. I am also in my mid-fifties, this gets more common with age. Its known to be more common with autoimmun]]
Anyway: My immune clinic constantly reminds me that these tests measure volume and not strength of your immune cell levels.
Many "Lyme people" (here) assume that if you have a low immune system, you wont "feel" illness / symptoms ect. This is apparently incorrect per my immune clinic. Thats why they constantly ask if I have any increase in any respiratory illnesses. They say even with people who have low immune cells, they will get colds and feel it. So if I dont "feel" colds...its because I dont get them.
So the fact that many lymies say they no longer "feel" colds is not from a compromised immune system as some guess. Maybe its from an immune system thats on alert
and actually doing its job, thus they actually are NOT getting colds!.
And this clinic and related clinics are not finding increases in COVID cases with people that are low. Kids born with almost no immune cells are a total different story. Those with recent cancer treatments are also a different story.
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IDF (Immune deficiency foundation):
https://primaryimmune.org/about-primary-immunodeficiencies/specific-disease-types/common-variable-immune-deficiency["Common Variable Immune Deficiency (CVID) is one of the most frequently diagnosed primary immunodeficiencies, especially in adults, characterized by low levels of serum immunoglobulins and antibodies, which causes an increased susceptibility to infection. While CVID is thought to be due to genetic defects, the exact cause of the disorder is unknown in the large majority of cases.
Compared to other human immune defects, CVID is a relatively frequent form of primary immunodeficiency, found in about
1 in 25,000 persons; this is the reason it is called “common.” The degree and type of deficiency of serum immunoglobulins, and the clinical course, varies from patient to patient, hence, the word “variable.” In some patients, there is a decrease in both IgG and IgA; in others, all three major types of immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA and IgM) are decreased. In still others there are defects of the T-cells, and this may also contribute to increased susceptibility to infections as well as autoimmunity, granulomata and tumors. "]
Just my three cents.
Post Edited (astroman) : 8/31/2022 11:48:09 AM (GMT-7)