Infections Hypogammaglobulinemia Can Cause

Ear Infections

Ear infections can happen quite frequently in patients with hypogammaglobulinemia because the bacteria that often cause them cannot be identified by the helper cells of the immune system, and they cannot destroy it before it causes a middle ear infection. The infection occurs when one of the Eustachian tubes, the tubes connecting the middle ear to the back of the throat, becomes blocked or swollen shut. Fluid and pressure then begin to build in the middle ear, allowing an ear infection to fester. The common cold, infected tonsils, infected throat, and infections of the sinuses can all cause chronic infections of the ear, which means individuals with hypogammaglobulinemia have a higher susceptibility to developing ear infections as the result of an invasion of viruses or bacteria. Repeated ear infections can result in long term complications such as loss of hearing, mastoiditis, meningitis, permanent inner ear damage, and a ruptured eardrum.