IgM in urine
Reference interval
- none
Principle
Clinical significance
Should a paraprotein be identified in blood, or urine, or both, its heavy & light chains should be typed & the concentrations of polyclonal IgG, IgA, & IgM should be determined. These studies confirm whether the spike on the electrophoretic pattern is indeed a paraprotein; they help to decide the probable prognosis, & they show whether the polyclonal Igs are so low as to make the patient vulnerable to infections. Prognosis is based on the class of the paraprotein found, its concentration at the time of diagnosis, & the rate at which its concentration increases. The concentration at the time of diagnosis must correlate with the current extent of the disease process. The rate of increase in concentration, when compared with the average doubling time for the concentration of the particular class of paraprotein, should correlate with the rate of growth of the neoplasm.
Specimen
- 200 uL
- Store sample in freezer until ready for assay.