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What you need to know about living with IgG4-related disease
Living with IgG4-related disease or caring for someone with it can feel overwhelming at first. Many people spend years—or even decades—searching for answers before finally learning the name of this condition. You’re not alone, and you’re in the right place. This self-paced program walks you through the essentials of IgG4-RD—from understanding the disease itself to diagnosis, treatment, and the specialists who may join your care team. Each lesson is warm, concise, and designed to make complex information easier to navigate.
What you’ll learn
Understanding the disease
What IgG4-related disease is, why it can look like many other conditions, and how it affects the body.
8 lessons
Getting the right diagnosis
Discover how doctors identify IgG4-RD using blood tests, imaging, biopsies, and clinical patterns.
7 lessons
Treatment and disease management
Understand how inflammation is managed through steroids, immune therapies, and supportive care—and what to expect at each step.
8 lessons
Treatment specialists
Meet some of the specialists who may be involved in your care and how they work together.
8 lessons
Organ affected: salivary & lacrimal glands
How IgG4-RD swells tear/ saliva glands, how it differs from Sjögren’s or infection, and what helps most.
6 lessons
Organ affected: pancreas
Pancreas and bile duct inflammation that can mimic cancer: symptoms, key tests, and why early treatment matters.
6 lessons
Organ affected: kidneys
Kidney problems in IgG4-RD: what labs, urine, and scans show, and how care protects kidney function long-term.
0 lessons
Organ affected: lungs
IgG4-RD can affect breathing and chest imaging, how doctors rule out infection or asthma, and how treatment prevents damage.
0 lessons
Retroperitoneal
TBC
0 lessons
Orbits
TBC
0 lessons
Aorta & Large Blood Vessels
TBC
0 lessons
Prostate
TBC
0 lessons
Thyroid Gland
TBC
0 lessons
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Chapter 1 introduction
Learn what IgG4-RD is and why it can look like many other conditions.
Chapter 1: Understanding the disease TreatmentChapter 2 introduction
Learn about the tools doctors use to diagnose IgG4-RD including medical history, tests, and observation.
Chapter 2: Getting the right diagnosis TreatmentChapter 3 introduction
A look at IgG4-RD treatment and disease management.
Chapter 3: Treatment and disease management TreatmentChapter 4 introduction
Meet the specialists who work together to coordinate care for IgG4-RD.
Chapter 4: Treatment specialists TreatmentChapter 5 introduction
How IgG4-RD affects saliva, tears, and daily comfort.
Chapter 5: Organ affected: salivary & lacrimal glands TreatmentChapter 6 introduction
What is IgG4-RD?
Learn how IgG4-related disease hides behind many different symptoms.
Chapter 1: Understanding the disease TreatmentDiagnosis overview
Why IgG4-RD is often missed, and clues to diagnosis.
Chapter 2: Getting the right diagnosis TreatmentTreatment overview
How treatment, monitoring, and flare prevention fit together
Chapter 3: Treatment and disease management TreatmentRheumatologists
A rheumatologist leads your care and keeps everyone aligned.
Chapter 4: Treatment specialists TreatmentOrgan overview
How IgG4-RD can swell tear and saliva glands, and why.
Chapter 5: Organ affected: salivary & lacrimal glands TreatmentPancreas overview
History of the disease
How scientists discovered IgG4-RD and why awareness is growing.
Chapter 1: Understanding the disease TreatmentClassification criteria
Why formal criteria exist, and how they affect diagnosis.
Chapter 2: Getting the right diagnosis TreatmentSteroids
Steroids help fast, but long-term control needs more.
Chapter 3: Treatment and disease management TreatmentGastroenterologists
GI doctors diagnose pancreato-biliary IgG4-RD and treat blockages.
Chapter 4: Treatment specialists TreatmentPatient Stories
Real stories of swelling, dryness, and the road to answers
Chapter 5: Organ affected: salivary & lacrimal glands TreatmentPatient stories
How pancreas IgG4-RD can disrupt digestion and daily life
Chapter 6: Organ affected: pancreas TreatmentWhat is the IgG antibody?
Learn how IgG antibodies work and what makes IgG4 unique.
Chapter 1: Understanding the disease TreatmentBlood tests
Blood tests can guide care, but are not the whole story.
Chapter 2: Getting the right diagnosis TreatmentB‑cell depletion
B-cell depletion lowers B cells to reduce inflammation.
Chapter 3: Treatment and disease management TreatmentPulmonologists & nephrologists
Medical management
How a care team protects your glands, eyes, and other organs
Chapter 5: Organ affected: salivary & lacrimal glands TreatmentMedical management
How pancreatic IgG4-RD is treated and monitored over time
Chapter 6: Organ affected: pancreas TreatmentThe role of B cells and why they matter
Imaging
Imaging helps spot silent organ involvement and guides biopsy.
Chapter 2: Getting the right diagnosis TreatmentB cell inhibition
New therapies may calm B cells without fully depleting them.
Chapter 3: Treatment and disease management TreatmentImmunologists and surgeons
Common questions
Clear answers for questions about gland involvement.
Chapter 5: Organ affected: salivary & lacrimal glands TreatmentCommon questions
Answers about pancreas and bile duct involvement in IgG4-RD
Chapter 6: Organ affected: pancreas TreatmentOther important immune cells
Role of T cells, eosinophils, and fibroblasts in IgG4-RD.
Chapter 1: Understanding the disease TreatmentBiopsy
Biopsies clarify diagnosis by excluding alternative causes.
Chapter 2: Getting the right diagnosis TreatmentDMARDs
DMARDs may help when steroids or B-cell therapy fall short.
Chapter 3: Treatment and disease management TreatmentOphthalmologists and neurologists
Chapter 5: Quiz
Test your knowledge of salivary and lacrimal gland involvement.
Chapter 5: Organ affected: salivary & lacrimal glands TreatmentChapter 6: Quiz
Test your knowledge about how IgG4-RD affects the pancreas
Chapter 6: Organ affected: pancreas TreatmentUnderstanding fibrosis
How scar-like tissue forms and why early treatment helps.
Chapter 1: Understanding the disease TreatmentChapter 2: Quiz
A short quiz to check your understanding of how IgG4‑RD is diagnosed.
Chapter 2: Getting the right diagnosis TreatmentLifestyle affects wellness
Practical ways to manage stress and care for yourself.
Chapter 3: Treatment and disease management TreatmentPrimary care providers
How your PCP helps with referrals, follow-up, side effects
Chapter 4: Treatment specialists TreatmentChapter 1: Quiz
Chapter 3: Quiz
Test your knowledge of IgG4-RD treatment & management.
Chapter 3: Treatment and disease management Treatment