1. There are 5 different immunoglobulin types. These are named as follows: IgA, IgE, IgD, IgM, and IgG. IgE stands for immunoglobulin E. It's a measure of your body's inflammatory response. Ranges When something triggers an allergy, your body responds by sending out immunoglobulin. The higher the IgE number, the more inflammation your body is experienced. People with ABPA (allergic bronchopulmonary aspergilliosis) typically have skyrocketing IgE values. If your IgE is only slightly elevated, your doctor may prescribe a round of prednisone or some other form of corticosteroid to reduce inflammation. Things that can cause an increased level of IgE include:
Allergic rhinitis
· ABPA
· Hay fever
· Parasite infestation
· Food allergies
Keep in mind that since the range of IgE levels is quite broad, using IgE values alone to determine the root of a problem is difficult. Doctors primarily rely on it to point them in the right direction when it comes to allergies, rather than use it for conclusive diagnosis. In cases where the IgE is elevated but no specific allergen is known, your doctor might recommend an allergen scratch test.
There is also a measure of total IgE, which accounts for all 5 types. Doctors can also request an allergen-specific IgE test, if they suspect that you are reacting to something specific in your environment (food allergies for example.) It is possible to have a high allergen-specific IgE but maintain a normal IgE range. Normal range for adults is 0-90.
2. The difference between retinol and retinyl palmitate is really just a matter of chemistry. Retinol is vitamin A in the form that is digested from vegetable sources (spinach, romaine lettuce, carrots, etc.) By contrast, retinyl is the form of vitamin A that we ingest from animal sources such as liver and eggs. Both are fat soluble vitamins. The lab test measures a total vitamin A level, which is representative of both retinol and retinyl. In case you're interested in the organic chemistry of them, retinol has a bond to the - OH group on the end of the molecule, and retinyl has a bond to the - OH group in the middle of the molecule. This impacts how it can bond with other molecules and how the body uses it.
The nausea and dizzyness is probably not caused by vitamin A deficiency. People with low levels of vitamin A usually have vision problems such as night blindness, and dry or rough skin.
3. There are 8 types of vitamin E that can be measured. These are named according to their molecular structure. Your lab test is looking specifically atvitamin E that your body uses are defined based on their chemical structure. Vitamin E a-toco refers to vitamin E alpha-tocopherol. This is the type of vitamin E that your liver likes to use. and E g-toco means that they are looking at the gamma-tocopherol, which is the one that protects your body from having too many Nitrogen free radicals. Okay, so that's a ton of chemistry that probably doesn't make sense to most people. Basically they are checking to make sure your blood work has the right combination of types of vitamins.
4. GFR stands for Gromerular filtration rate. It's a test that checks your kidney function. Any number below 30 indicates kidney disease. If your GFR is below 15, you're in trouble.
Hope that helps!
