Diagnosis of hereditary angioedema
Monitoring levels of C1 esterase inhibitor in response to therapy
Nephelometry
C1 Esterase Inhibitor Antigen, S
C1 Esterase Inhibitor Quantitative
C1 inhibitor level
Serum
Patient Preparations: Fasting preferred but not required.
Supplies: Sarstedt Aliquot Tube, 5 mL (T914)
Collection Container/Tube:
Preferred: Red top
Acceptable: Serum gel
Submission Container/Tube: Plastic vial
Specimen Volume: 1 mL
Collection Instructions:
1. Immediately after specimen collection, place the tube on wet ice.
2. Centrifuge and aliquot serum into plastic vial.
3. Freeze specimen within 30 minutes.
0.5 mL
Gross hemolysis | OK |
Gross lipemia | Reject |
Gross icterus | OK |
Specimen Type | Temperature | Time | Special Container |
---|---|---|---|
Serum | Ambient | 72 hours | |
Refrigerated | 28 days | ||
Frozen (preferred) | 28 days |
Diagnosis of hereditary angioedema
Monitoring levels of C1 esterase inhibitor in response to therapy
C1 esterase inhibitor blocks the activation of C1 (first component of the complement cascade) to its active form. The deficiency of C1 esterase inhibitor results in the inappropriate activation of C1 and the subsequent release of an activation peptide from C2 with kinin-like activity. This kinin-like peptide enhances vascular permeability. C1 esterase inhibitor deficiency results in hereditary or acquired angioedema. This disease is an autosomal dominant inherited condition, in which exhaustion of the abnormally low levels of C1 esterase inhibitor results in C1 activation, breakdown of C2 and C4, and subsequent acute edema of subcutaneous tissue, the gastrointestinal tract, or the upper respiratory tract. The disease responds to attenuated androgens.
Because 15% of C1 inhibitor deficiencies have nonfunctional protein, some patients will have abnormal functional results (C1INF / C1 Esterase Inhibitor, Functional, Serum) in the presence of normal (or elevated) antigen levels.
19-37 mg/dL
Abnormally low results are consistent with a heterozygous C1 esterase inhibitor deficiency and hereditary angioedema.
Fifteen percent of hereditary angioedema patients have a normal or elevated level but nonfunctional C1 esterase inhibitor protein. Detection of these patients requires a functional measurement of C1 esterase inhibitor; C1INF / C1 Esterase Inhibitor, Functional, Serum.
Measurement of C1q antigen levels (C1Q / Complement C1q, Serum) is key to the differential diagnoses of acquired or hereditary angioedema. Those patients with the hereditary form of the disease will have normal levels of C1q, while those with the acquired form of the disease will have low levels.
Studies in children show that adult levels of C1 inhibitor are reached by 6 months of age.
Quantitation of specific proteins by nephelometric means may not be
1. Willrich MAV, Braun KMP, Moyer AM, Jeffrey DH, Frazer-Abel A. Complement testing in the clinical laboratory. Crit Rev Clin Lab Sci. 2021;58(7):447-478. doi:10.1080/10408363.2021.19072972
2. Drouet C, Lopez-Lera A, Ghannam A, et al. SERPING1 variants and C1-INH biological function: A close relationship with C1-INH-HAE. Front Allergy. 2022;3:835503. doi:10.3389/falgy.2022.835503
3. Tangye SG, Al-Herz W, Bousfiha A, et al. Human inborn errors of immunity: 2022 update on the classification from the International Union of Immunological Societies Expert Committee. J Clin Immunol. 2022;42(7):1473-1507. doi:10.1007/s10875-022-01289-3
4. Brodszki N, Frazer-Abel A, Grumach AS, et al. European Society for Immunodeficiencies (ESID) and European Reference Network on Rare Primary Immunodeficiency, Autoinflammatory and Autoimmune Diseases (ERN RITA) Complement Guideline: Deficiencies, Diagnosis, and Management. J Clin Immunol. 2020;40(4):576-591. doi:10.1007/s10875-020-00754-1
5. Patel G, Pongracic JA. Hereditary and acquired angioedema. Allergy Asthma Proc. 2019;40(6):441-445. doi:10.2500/aap.2019.40.4267
6. Longhurst HJ, Tarzi MD, Ashworth F, et al. C1 inhibitor deficiency: 2014 United Kingdom consensus document [published correction appears in Clin Exp Immunol. 2015;182(3):346]. Clin Exp Immunol. 2015;180(3):475-483. doi:10.1111/cei.12584
In this Siemens Nephelometer II method, the light scattered onto the antigen-antibody complexes is measured. The intensity of the measured scattered light is proportional to the amount of antigen-antibody complexes in the sample under certain conditions. If the antibody volume is kept constant, the signal behaves proportionally to the antigen volume.
A reference curve is generated by a standard with a known antigen content on which the scattered light signals of the samples can be evaluated and calculated as an antigen concentration. Antigen-antibody complexes are formed when a sample containing antigen and the corresponding antiserum are put into a cuvette. A light beam is generated with a light-emitting diode, which is transmitted through the cuvette. The light is scattered onto the immuno-complexes that are present. Antigen and antibody are mixed in the initial measurement, but no complex is formed yet. An antigen-antibody complex is formed in the final measurement.
The result is calculated by subtracting value of the final measurement from the initial measurement. The distribution of intensity of the scattered light depends on the ratio of the particle size of the antigen-antibody complexes to the radiated wavelength.(Instruction manual: Siemens Nephelometer II Operations. Siemens, Inc; Version 2.4, 07/2019)
Monday through Friday
This test has been cleared, approved, or is exempt by the US Food and Drug Administration and is used per manufacturer's instructions. Performance characteristics were verified by Mayo Clinic in a manner consistent with CLIA requirements.
83883
Test Id | Test Order Name | Order LOINC Value |
---|---|---|
C1ES | C1 Esterase Inhibitor Antigen, S | 4477-6 |
Result Id | Test Result Name |
Result LOINC Value
Applies only to results expressed in units of measure originally reported by the performing laboratory. These values do not apply to results that are converted to other units of measure.
|
---|---|---|
C1ES | C1 Esterase Inhibitor Antigen, S | 4477-6 |