Studies on Acquired Hypogammaglobulinemia

Abstract

PRIMARY hypogammaglobulinemia or agammaglobulinemia has received considerable attention since the original description by Bruton¹ in 1952. Good^{2 3 4 5} has written extensively on this subject and has defined the condition as a metabolic disorder featured by an enhanced susceptibility to bacterial infection, absence of gamma globulin from the serum, absence of antibodies from blood and tissues and failure of immunologic response to antigenic stimulation. There are two types: the congenital,⁶ which is a sex-linked mendelian recessive disorder, occurs in males and is manifested early in childhood; and the adult or acquired primary type, which is diagnosed in adult life, occurs in both . . .