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At the annual meeting of the academy, held from September 29 through October 1, 1993, in Minneapolis, Minn, Edwyn L. Boyd, MD, Hoover, Ala, presented a review of 334 patients from his practice who were screened for IgA. IgA deficiency is the most common immunodeficiency state encountered. In this series, 34 patients (10%) had abnormally low serum IgA levels, and five patients (1.5%) had no detectable levels of IgA in serum (IgA-deficiency syndrome). In this population of patients entering an otolaryngology office, there was a correlation between IgA deficiency and upper respiratory tract infections and sinusitis.
Allergic fungal sinusitis, which has histopathologic similarities to allergic bronchopulmonary fungal disease, was first recognized only 10 years ago. BerrylinJ. Ferguson, MD, Pittsburgh, Pa, reported that both respiratory tract entities demonstrate elevated total serum IgE and elevated fungalspecific IgE and IgG. Dr Ferguson classifies fungal sinus disease into five categories: fulminant sinusitis in immunocompromised