Fig. 1.

Rates of decline of immunoglobulin sub-classes in CLL patients along a spectrum of disease severity. A. CLL patients were classed as benign (black bars, n = 25), treated (gray bars, n = 51), or progressor (white bars, n = 40) as described in the materials and methods. Clinical characteristics of the three groups are shown in the bar graphs with units for each descriptor indicated along the Y-axis. B. Example of a “progressor” patient, showing concordant declines in IgA, IgM, and IgG levels with disease progression indicated by increases in blood lymphocyte and β2M levels. C–E. Average rates of decline (C), normalized rates of decline (D), and final levels (E) of Ig sub-classes along with standard errors are shown in the graphs. *, p < 0.05; ns = not significant.