The Immunoglobulins in Organ-Specific Diseases

From the results of the variety of studies undertaken, it now appears certain that no one single immunological factor is responsible for the various forms of heart diseases which are seen in populations in subtropical and tropical countries. Thus, in patients with endomyocardial fibrosis (EMF), rheumatic heart disease, or idiopathic cardiomegaly, heart antibodies were present in 42% and thyroid antibodies in 15% serum cryoglobulins were present in 74% of the patients but was more frequent in those patients who had EMF than in any of the other groups (VI). The suggestion was therefore made that patients with EMF were 

Summary of Immunoglobulin Conckntu.vtion in P.vtiknts with Organic Hioart Diskasks  

Serum immunoglobulin type (mg/ml) Endo- myocardial fibrosis Bheumatic heart disease Hypertensive heart failure The rest 

The immunoglobulins in the serum of patients with other diseases implicating the liver have been dealt with in other sections, and Hobbs has recently extensively reviewed this subject (H5). 

This section is confined to the disturbance of the serum immunoglobulins in an unusual type of liver disease Indian childhood cirrhosis or infantile cirrhosis is one of the major causes of mortality in Indian children and the disease is uniformly fatal. Its etiology is unknown, but recent studies strongly suggest that there is a disturbed immunological process, probably involving both the humoral and cellular aspects of the immune response. 

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