agammaglobulinemia

9.9

A rare condition where the body has very few antibodies that fight infections

noun
/ˌæɡəˌmæɡləˌbɑlɪˈniːmiə/

Specialized

: agammaglobulinemia

Children with agammaglobulinemia often require frequent immunoglobulin infusions to fight infections.

Examples

Patients with agammaglobulinemia are more susceptible to infections.
Early diagnosis of agammaglobulinemia can significantly improve a patient's quality of life.
Because of his agammaglobulinemia, he was closely monitored for signs of respiratory illness.
What is agammaglobulinemia?
Children with agammaglobulinemia often require frequent immunoglobulin infusions to fight infections.
Because of his agammaglobulinemia, he was closely monitored for signs of respiratory illness.
Early diagnosis of agammaglobulinemia can significantly improve a patient's quality of life.

Synonyms

hypogammaglobulinemia

vsagammaglobulinemia

Specialized

9.9

A low level of antibodies in the blood that makes infections more likely

shows near or total lack of gamma globulins causing much higher infection risk

Antonyms

immunocompetence

Specialized

8.1

Ability of the body to make a normal defence against germs and to respond to vaccines

How Severe

agammaglobulinemia

Specialized

9.9

hypogammaglobulinemia

Specialized

9.9

immunocompromised

Specialized

2 7.5

Surface Forms

agammaglobulinemia singular

agammaglobulinemias plural

Morphology

agammaglobulinemia = gammaglobulinemia (opaque) = a + gamma + globulin + emia

The negative prefix 'a-' transparently negates the medical noun 'gammaglobulinemia', but the component morphemes are specialized medical terms.

Etymology

Agammaglobulinemia breaks into a- 'without', gamma (the Greek letter), globulin 'a blood protein', and -emia 'in the blood'. So it means 'no gamma globulins in the blood', and because these globulins are the antibodies that help fight infections, people with the condition get many infections.