Should mild hypogammaglobulinemia be managed as severe hypogammaglobulinemia? A study of 389 patients with secondary hypogammaglobulinemia

Abstract Background Although secondary hypogammaglobulinemia is more frequent than primary hypogammaglobulinemia, its etiology and management are poorly described, particularly for mild hypogammaglobulinemia. Methods This retrospective observational study included all adult patients with a gammaglobulin level Results Among the 4011 serum electrophoreses, 570 samples from 389 patients had gammaglobulin levels below 6.4 g/L: 156 (40%) in group 1 and 233 (60%) in group 2. Mean age ± SD was 67 (15) years, and sex ratio was 1.04 (M/F) with no difference between the two groups. An etiology was identified in 79% and 58% of patients in groups 1 and 2, respectively (p  Conclusions Though mild hypogammaglobulinemia does not meet the classical criteria for hypogammaglobulinemia (