Background: IgA deficiency is the most common immunodeficiency disorder. Most affected individuals are asymptomatic, and since there are no routine diagnostic screening programs the prevalence of this disease has remained uncertain.
Methods and materials: Seven thousand blood donors who attended Fars Blood Transfusion Center, from September 2017 to March 2018, were selected randomly, and their serum IgA levels were checked by Immunoturbidimetry method. Cases with IgA levels <10 mg/dL were considered as serum IgA deficient patients. Serum IgM and IgG levels of IgA deficient cases were measured to determine selective IgA deficiency. The prevalent clinical findings of IgA deficiency were also investigated.
Results: Ten blood donors had selective IgA deficiency: 0.14% (CI 95%: 0.001, 0.002). All cases were male, with a mean age of 36.10±9.70 years. Investigating common clinical findings in the IgA deficient cases revealed the most prevalent symptoms were recurrent upper respiratory tract infections (50%) which were significantly higher in the study group compared to the control group (P-value =0.008) and allergic disorders (40%) with no statistical difference from the control cases.
Conclusion: The prevalence of selective IgA deficiency (SIgAD) among blood donors at Fars Transfusion Center was 0.14%. The most common clinical finding among the patients with SIgAD was recurrent upper respiratory infections, followed by allergic diseases.
Keywords: Selective IgA deficiency; blood donors; blood transfusion; immunodeficiency; transfusion center.
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