Plasmablasts as a biomarker for IgG4-related disease, independent of serum IgG4 concentrations.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVES:We examined the utility of circulating total and IgG4+ plasmablasts as biomarkers of diagnosis and disease activity in IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD). MATERIALS METHODS:We evaluated patients with active, untreated, biopsy-proven IgG4-RD affecting various organs. Flow cytometry was used to measure total plasmablast and IgG4+ plasmablast counts by gating peripheral blood for CD19lowCD38+CD20-CD27+ cells and CD19lowCD38+CD20-CD27+IgG4+ cells. Serum IgG4 concentrations were measured by nephelometry. We compared 37 IgG4-RD patients to 35 controls, including healthy individuals (n=14) and patients with other inflammatory diseases before treatment (n=21). RESULTS:The IgG4-RD patients' mean age was 59, and 68% were male. Fourteen patients (38%) had three or more organs involved. The IgG4-RD patients had substantially elevated total plasmablast counts (median 4698/mL, range 610-79524/mL) compared to both untreated disease controls (median 592/mL, range 19-4294/mL; p?

SUBMITTER: Wallace ZS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4656194 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature