Immunoglobulin G4 related disease: an overview

Abstract

Immunoglobulin G4 related disease (IgG4-RD) is a recently perceived fibroinflammatory condition, identified as a systemic illness for the first time in the early 2000. It can involve virtually every organ of the body, commonly presenting as lymphadenopathy, retroperitoneal fibrosis, autoimmune pancreatitis, tubulointerstitial nephritis, parotid or lacrimal gland enlargement. The diagnosis is confirmed by histopathological analysis and is often, but not always accompanied by an increased level of serum IgG4 concentration. In fact, the name addressing this autoimmune fibroinflammatory condition may be considered a misnomer, as the role of the non-inflammatory immunoglobulin IgG4 in the immune mechanism of IgG4-RD remains to be elucidated. Ibrahim Med. Coll. J. 2021; 15(2): 44-51