Significance of elevated IgA antibody levels in neonates with gastrointestinal conditions.

Four groups of patients, 21 neonates with gastrointestinal anomalies, 8 with necrotizing enterocolitis, 5 with low anorectal anomalies and 15 with spina bifida were studied for the development of IgA and IgA subclass immunoglobulin levels. A highly significant increase in IgA levels (p less than 0.001) was seen in neonates with gastrointestinal anomalies and necrotizing enterocolitis while patients with low anorectal anomalies and spina bifida had normal or undetectable IgA levels. Estimation of IgA sub-class distribution in neonates with raised total serum IgA did not demonstrate any striking correlation between either IgA1 or IgA2 sub-classes and the clinical conditions but rather they reflected the level of total IgA. The levels if IgA, correlated closely with those of total IgA (r = 0.93) in all patients implying that in these patients total serum IgA is composed principally of IgA1 immunoglobulin.