Serum Immunofixation Test – Indications, Procedures, Results

What does a positive immunofixation mean?

• Positive results from the test indicate the presence of abnormal Ig. This may suggest the existence of an underlying health condition, such as an immune system disorder. multiple myeloma.

What diseases does serum protein electrophoresis test for?

• Serum protein electrophoresis is used to identify patients with multiple myeloma and other serum protein disorders. Electrophoresis separates proteins based on their physical properties, and the subsets of these proteins are used in interpreting the results.

What is immunofixation?

• Immunofixation “fixes” certain proteins into place with antibodies and then washes away the others before staining them. On a computer screen, these proteins form a pattern of bands. Peaks and valleys in the bands may mean that you may be making too many or too few of certain proteins.

How is immunofixation performed?

• Answer. Immunofixation consists of an electrophoresis phase and a fixation phase. In the former, the serum is applied to an agarose gel, and the negatively charged serum proteins move toward the cathode under the influence of an electric current. The speed of movement is dictated by their charge.

Why would a doctor order an immunofixation test?

• The immunofixation blood test is used to identify proteins called immunoglobulins in the blood. Too much of the same immunoglobulin is usually due to different types of blood cancer. Immunoglobulins are antibodies that help your body fight infection.

Why is an immunofixation test done?

• This test is most often used to help diagnose or monitor a variety of different conditions. These include Multiple myeloma, a cancer of the white blood cells. Other forms of cancer, such as lymphoma (cancer of the immune system) or leukemia (cancer of blood-forming tissues, such as bone marrow)

What is the difference between serum protein electrophoresis and immunofixation?

• Urine protein electrophoresis (UPEP) is used to identify the presence of the Bence Jones protein in the urine. Immunofixation is used to identify the subtype of protein (ie, IgA lambda).

How do you read immunofixation results?

• Immunofixation can either reveal a normal pattern or identify a monoclonal protein or a polyclonal immunoglobulin pattern. A normal result includes a darker immunoglobulin G (IgG) lane, a lighter immunoglobulin A (IgA), an absent immunoglobulin M (IgM), and a denser kappa compared to the lambda lane, with ratio of 2:1.

How long does it take to get immunofixation results?

• The Immunofixation (IFE) Serum Test detects and identifies monoclonal immunoglobulin gammopathies, which may indicate conditions such as multiple myeloma or Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia. Preparation: Fasting for 10-12 hours required. Test Results: 2-3 days. May take longer based on weather, holiday or lab delays.

Does immunofixation detect light chains?

• Second-order testing is performed by immunofixation analysis or immunoglobulin analysis by capillary zone electrophoresis with immunosubtraction to identify and characterize the heavy and light chains of monoclonal M-proteins.

What does a negative immunofixation blood test mean?

• Serum or urine immunofixation negative for a monoclonal protein or a polyclonal pattern is considered to be normal. CSF immunofixation that does not reveal oligoclonal bands is also considered normal. A polyclonal immunoglobulin pattern in the serum or urine immunofixation is considered to be nonspecific.

What does high immunoglobulin M mean?

• If your immunoglobulin levels are too high, it may be a sign of an autoimmune disease, a chronic illness, an infection, or a type of cancer.

What does high immunoglobulin A mean?

• High IgA can indicate chronic inflammation or an infection. Most labs consider values above 400 mg/dL in adults high. The upper limit varies by age and is lower in children and adolescents. IgA is also elevated in people with Liver damage 

What tube is used for immunofixation?