My Two Years Old Daughter's Blood Test Show High Iga Level in Her Blood

Instead of typing to strangers on the internet, I would absolutely be on the phone calling the specialist or the pediatrician's office for help interpreting the numbers.

IgA = Immunoglobulin A

It is produced as an immune system response. It is normal to have some at all times, but a high count can mean infection or a medical condition. The specialists are who you need to talk to for answers.

So your job is to stop being so "terrified" and get your daughter an appointment with the specialist just like your Dr. told you to do.

Now is not the time to be freaking out over the unknown. Go to the specialist already!

Best wishes!

The doctor is doing the right thing. Obviously he felt the need to order blood work for your daughter, but now he realizes this is not his area of specialization. We've dealt with this a million times in my daughter's medical journey. A doctor orders generalized testing, and something is high or low or off, and he has the smarts to know that a specialist is required. He has the wisdom to realize that to make conjectures about something outside of his area of expertise would be irresponsible. He knows that the right thing to do is to get your child a consult with someone whose area of expertise is with a more specialized pediatrician and specialist.

Those are the doctors I have come to respect. They're humble enough to say "I don't know" or "My field is _________ and you need a doctor who specializes in ________ " and then they're proactive enough to make sure your daughter gets the help she needs. The absolute worst kind of doctor, in my opinion, is the one who says "well, I'm not a cardiologist, but it seems like her heart might have a problem, so why don't I put her on a beta blocker just to be sure. Yeah, I'm a dentist but, medical school is medical school, right?" And those kinds are out there.

Don't feel powerless. Feel empowered. Your daughter has a doctor who was insightful enough to order blood tests, and to bring a specialist on board. Powerless would be if your daughter's doctor said "she needs to take a vitamin" or "more naps!" and didn't bother to look further. Powerless would be a doctor who said "oh, 335, it will probably come down if you let her get some more fresh air" or "I'll check it again in 6 months".

But you also cannot be terrified. It's tempting, and it's easy. But right now, you need to NOT google IgA and and IgE and IgG and you just need to stay calm and wait for that specialist's appointment. When you go, you will likely encounter a lot of new vocabulary (I've been down this route). Bring a notebook, or a friend with a notebook (I mean a paper one, not a laptop) and write down what the doctor is saying. Take notes on the doctor's suggestions.

Be knowledgeable, be patient, take care of your daughter in a normal way, and be a wise, caring, powerful mom.

Your doctor answered your question by sending you to a specialist for answers. He likely gave you some general information. RElax! Your child needs to have the security that you an provide by being calm.

You cannot change answers to anything with fear. YOU can help your lf by focusing on a positive aspect instead of anticipating the worst.

Because your doctor is referring you to a pediatric disease and infection specialist, you know that the diagnosis is related to those issues. There is a way of knowing specifically your daughter's condition without further testing. Your daughter's doctor can only answer in terms of generalities.

My experience with IgA levels is their relationship to allergies. YOUR daughter is just as likely to have a treatable, not so serious condition as a more serious.condition. Have faith that she'll be OK.

When is her appointment with the specialist? If not soon, call her doctor's office, tell them how scared you.are and ask for help with more information.

I went through a similar health crisis with my older son. Yes, hospitals and lots of speculation but no answers for a week. I was beside myself. HOWEVER, the problem was corrected easily and he now just has to take a daily pill. Hang in there, you need to be the strong one.

Updated

I went through a similar health crisis with my older son. Yes, hospitals and lots of speculation but no answers for a week. I was beside myself. HOWEVER, the problem was corrected easily and he now just has to take a daily pill. Hang in there, you need to be the strong one.

Your doctor probably didn't say anything because he/she doesn't know the cause. Sending you to a specialist is giving over the care to someone who deals with these issues all the time.

You have to remember that a primary care doctor knows a little about a lot of things. The specialist knows a lot about certain things. The primary could have listed off possible reasons why this test was high but it would have been just guessing.

Personally I wouldn't be terrified. If it was something dire you would have been sent to the er or the doctor's office would have called the specialist to get you seen asap.

Don't let terror overtake your thinking. Call the doctor again and ask for clarification - this can be done by phone and without an appointment. Ask what questions you should ask the pediatric specialist too. You'll have your own questions, but it helps to get some clues from the referring physician too.

Have a notebook with you when you call, and also when you go to the new appointment. If you tend to get very anxious and frightened in medical situations anyway, or even if it's just this particular issue, take someone else with you who can take notes and be a second source of recall for you. This should be a calm person who is detail oriented and relatively objective and non-emotional.

You may get some hints here, but remember it's not a good idea to get your medical info from the internet, helpful as we all try to be!

Yes, your daughter needs a follow-up, but if this were a dire emergency, the physician would have sent you right to the Emergency Room. It may be that more accurate tests need to be done and reviewed by someone with this specialty. It doesn't mean something horrible is being done to her body.

Get more than one name from the referring doctor, and go for the first available appointment. Consider a children's hospital that will have lots of specialties on hand and the ability to put together a small team of people with expertise in different areas.

I sincerely doubt that this is actually "the doctor won't tell you anything". The doctor is sending you to specialists because it's not his or her field and doesn't want to speculate. That wouldn't help you. It could make you even more upset.

Go to the specialists. That's what they are for. It could be something simple. They will help you.

May mean that IgA monoclonal gammopathy of unknown
significance (MGUS) or IgA multiple myeloma is present. Levels of
IgA are also higher in some autoimmune diseases, such as
rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and
in liver diseases, such as cirrhosis and long-term (chronic)
hepatitis.

Copy and paste right out of google....

So it may mean absolutely nothing!!

Or she could have an autoimmune disease or a liver disease.

That is why you are going to a specialist to find out if it is nothing or something.

You can look it up and see if she has any other symptoms of any of the issues that cause a high iga level. Or you can wait....without further tests you can't know.

If your doctor won't explain test results to you - fire him and get another doctor.
It's a bad idea to be asking strangers on a web site what test results mean.
We're not doctors - and Google is not your friend in this case.
You're going to give yourself an anxiety attack and your daughter needs you to not do that.

This is quite common - to have blood work done, and your family physician sends you on to the specialist who will know how to interpret the results and order more tests if necessary.

This must have happened to you before? I've had to do this many times.

So I wouldn't freak out at this point. You could ask what this likely indicates - but often times they won't tell you until they know more. Why would they? They might panic you for no reason. Doctors don't usually speculate, but they can answer questions in general terms.

If you tell the specialist's office that you will take a cancellation appointment, you may get in sooner.

I know it's worrisome. Try not to assume the worst. Best to you

https://labtestsonline.org/
i use this site to help me understand lab tests and results.

I can honestly say that I've never had a doc not tell me why he/she was concerned. SO that I would be prepared for what was coming. I wouldn't have left the doc's office until he/she explained what was going on and why they were concerned.

You need to call the office again or do your own research to find out what that number signifies. I googled IGA blood level too high and got a lot of information. I saw that those in the thousands were concerning. Not much about those that are just a hundred too high.

I think you do need to make that appointment very soon with the specialist so that you can know if there is an actual problem.

so why are you still with this weirdly uncommunicative doctor?
go see the specialists he recommends right away, and also find a new pediatrician today.
there is no need to spin around in terror. go talk to doctors.
not people you don't know on the internet.
khairete
S.