Definition of Bruton agammaglobulinemia tyrosine kinaseBruton agammaglobulinemia tyrosine kinase: A genetic type of immunodeficiency characterized by failure to produce mature B lymphocytes and gamma globulin, due to mutation (change) in the agammaglobulinemia tyrosine kinase gene situated on the X chromosome (in the region Xq21.3-q22). The disorder is inherited as an X-linked recessive trait. Patients are males with absent or minimal lymphoid tissue (for example, with little or no tonsils and adenoids) who are particularly prone to bacterial but not viral infections. Although patients have recurrent bacterial infections, they generally have a normal response to viral infection, because cell-mediated immunity is intact. A notable exception is the usually fatal echovirus-induced meningoencephalitis often associated with a "dermatomyositis-like" syndrome. A clinical picture resembling rheumatoid arthritis develops in many patients. Before the advent of antibiotics, death usually occurred in the first decade. Treatment today is with regular IV gamma globulin and prophylactic and therapeutic antibiotics. The prognosis is now markedly improved. Source: MedTerms™ Medical Dictionaryhttp://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=18883 Last Editorial Review: 6/14/2012
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - ZSearch Medical Dictionary
eMedicineHealth Top News
|
Women's Health
Find out what women really need.
From WebMD
Healthy Resources
Featured Centers
Health Solutions From Our Sponsors
Featured Topics
Most Popular Topics
Medical Dictionary
Pill Identifier on RxList
- quick, easy,
pill identification
Find a Local Pharmacy
- including 24 hour, pharmacies

