Immunoglobulin levels in newborn infants with hepatosplenomegaly.

Serum IgM and IgA levels were measured in 97 newborn infants with and 141 without hepatosplenomegaly. All were considered normal at birth and had no apparent disease on clinical examination. Thirty per cent. of the infants with hepatosplenomegaly were found to have IgM levels of 20 mg/100 ml or greater, a level established as abnormal when compared with the control group. The number of infants with raised IgM level and the geometric mean level were significantly different (P < 0.001) from those in the control group. No difference, however, was found in serum IgA levels between the two groups of infants. The results suggest that intrauterine infections may sometimes be the cause of hepatosplenomegaly in newborn infants without apparent disease.