Diseases

Heavy Chain Disease

A disorder of immunoglobulin synthesis in which large quantities of abnormal heavy chains are excreted in the urine. The amino acid sequences of the N-(amino-) terminal regions of these chains are normal, but they have a deletion extending from part of the variable domain through the first domain of the constant region, so that they cannot form cross-links to the light chains. The defect arises through faulty coupling of the variable (V) and constant (C) region genes.

National Library of MedicineMedical Subject Headings2026

Structured Summary

Abstract

A disorder of immunoglobulin synthesis in which large quantities of abnormal heavy chains are excreted in the urine. The amino acid sequences of the N-(amino-) terminal regions of these chains are normal, but they have a deletion extending from part of the variable domain through the first domain of the constant region, so that they cannot form cross-links to the light chains. The defect arises through faulty coupling of the variable (V) and constant (C) region genes.

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Synonyms

10 entry terms
  • Heavy Chain Diseases
  • Franklin Disease
  • Franklin's Disease
  • gamma-Chain Disease
  • mu-Chain Disease
  • Franklins Disease
  • gamma Chain Disease
  • gamma-Chain Diseases
  • mu Chain Disease
  • mu-Chain Diseases

MeSH Record

Aspects Covered

35 allowable subheadings

Indexed with the subheadings blood, cerebrospinal fluid, chemically induced, classification, complications, congenital, diagnosis, diagnostic imaging, diet therapy, drug therapy, economics, embryology, enzymology, epidemiology, ethnology, etiology, genetics, history, immunology, metabolism, microbiology, mortality, nursing, parasitology, pathology, physiopathology, prevention & control, psychology, radiotherapy, rehabilitation, surgery, therapy, urine, veterinary, virology.

MeSH Record

Indexing Annotation

specify the immunoglobulin fragment coord NIM, as gamma chain dis = HEAVY CHAIN DISEASE (IM) + IMMUNOGLOBULIN GAMMA-CHAINS (NIM); ALPHA-CHAIN DISEASE see IMMUNOPROLIFERATIVE SMALL INTESTINAL DISEASE is available

MeSH Record

History Note

66(64)

MeSH Hierarchy

Tree Numbers

  1. C15.378w.147.780w.490w
  2. C15.604w.515w.435w
  3. C20w.683w.780w.490w

AMA Style

References

  1. National Library of Medicine. Heavy Chain Disease. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). 2026. Unique ID D006362. http://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/2026/D006362
  2. Heavy Chain Disease. In: Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_chain_disease
  3. Heavy Chain Disease. In: Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3281328