Wallach's Interpretation of Diagnostic Tests: Pathways to Arriving at a Clinical Diagnosis (1001 page)

Decreased In

   Normal persons (1:700)

   Hereditary telangiectasia (80% of patients)

   Type III dysgammaglobulinemia

   Malabsorption (some patients)

   SLE (occasionally)

   Cirrhosis of the liver (occasionally)

   Still disease (occasionally)

   Recurrent otitis media (occasionally)

   Non-IgA myeloma

   Waldenström macroglobulinemia

   Acquired immunodeficiency

   Gastric carcinoma

   Limitations

   Immunochemical methods do not distinguish between polyclonal and monoclonal levels. Serum protein electrophoresis and immunofixation need to be performed for quantification of M-proteins.