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Causes of IgM-carrying B-lymphocyte increases and decreases
Last reviewed: 06.07.2025
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An increase in the number of B-lymphocytes with IgM receptors is typical for the acute phase of the inflammatory process. If an increase in B-lymphocytes with IgM receptors is not detected in the acute period of the disease, this indicates a deficiency of humoral immunity associated with a violation of IgM synthesis. The number of B-lymphocytes with IgM receptors increases earlier than the increase in the concentration of IgM in the blood, so this indicator can be used for early diagnosis of infectious diseases. Myeloma, which synthesizes IgM, is characterized by the predominance of B-lymphocytes with IgM receptors in the blood. In lymphocytic leukemia, determining the number of B-lymphocytes with IgM receptors in the blood allows you to clarify the localization of the B-lymphocyte maturation block. The absence or a small number of B-lymphocytes with IgM receptors indicates that the block occurred at the level of pre-B-lymphocytes.
Diseases and conditions that lead to changes in the number of B-lymphocytes carrying IgM
| Increase in the indicator | Decrease in the indicator |
Acute and chronic bacterial, fungal and parasitic infections Chronic liver disease, cirrhosis Autoimmune diseases Rheumatoid arthritis Systemic lupus erythematosus Acute and chronic lymphocytic leukemia |
Physiological hypogammaglobulinemia (in children aged 3-5 months) Congenital hypogammaglobulinemia or agammaglobulinemia Diseases that lead to depletion of the immune system: Neoplasms of the immune system; Condition after removal of the spleen; Treatment with cytostatics and immunosuppressants; Ionizing radiation Chronic viral infection |