Oligoclonal band

Oligoclonal bands are about two to five bands of immunoglobulinson protein electrophoresisof cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) or blood plasma. Each band is understood to represent protein secreted by plasma cells, though why exactly these bands are shown and what proteins(or its fragments) these bands represent has not yet been elucidated.

For the CSF analysis, a patient has a lumbar punctureperformed, which removes some of their cerebrospinal fluid. This fluid is then analysed by a method called protein electrophoresis. As a result of this analysis, one possible result is that about two to five bands of immunoglobulins, known as oligoclonal bands, are evident.

The presence of oligoclonal bands in spinal fluid often indicates a disease of the central nervous systemif the bands are not also found in blood serum. The presence of one band (a monoclonalband) is not considered serious and may simply be normal. More bands may reflect pathology. The bands usually disappear from the spinal fluidas a person recovers from the neurological disease.

Approximately 79%-90% of all patients with multiple sclerosishave these bands. For those who possibly have the disease, these bands are an important indicator. The bands are permanent in these patients.

Oligoclonal bands are also found in:

• Systemic lupus erythematosus
• Neurosarcoidosis
• SSPE
• Subarachnoid haemorrhage
• Syphilis
• CNS Lymphoma

External links

Birmingham University, UKPresentation of real world examples and further insightsde:Oligoklonale Bande

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligoclonal+band Wikipedia article Oligoclonal band.