High serum IgA levels in patients with IgG4-related disease are associated with mild inflammation, sufficient disease-specific features, and favourable responses to treatments

ABSTRACT Objectives Although elevated serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) levels are thought to exclude a diagnosis of IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD), IgG4-RD has been definitively diagnosed in some patients despite elevated serum IgA levels. This study aimed to clarify the prevalence of elevated IgA levels in patients with IgG4-RD and to compare the clinical features of IgG4-RD patients with and without elevated IgA levels. Methods The clinical features of 169 IgG4-RD patients were retrospectively compared among those with and without elevated serum IgA levels. Results Of the 169 patients with IgG4-RD, 17 (10.1%) had elevated serum IgA levels. Those with elevated serum IgA levels showed higher serum C-reactive protein levels and lower prevalence of relapse than those without. Other clinical features did not differ significantly, including inclusion scores of the American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism classification criteria. Cox regression analysis showed that elevated serum IgA levels were associated with a lower incidence of relapse. Moreover, patients with elevated serum IgA levels showed prompt improvement in response to glucocorticoids in the IgG4-RD responder index. Conclusions Some patients diagnosed with IgG4-RD have high serum IgA levels. These patients may form a subgroup, characterized by good response to glucocorticoids, less frequent relapse, mildly elevated serum C-reactive protein levels, and possible complications of autoimmune diseases.