Objectives: To study the incidence, clinical manifestations, and genetic spectrum of primary immunodeficiency diseases (PID)/inborn errors of immunity (IEI) in a tertiary care hospital in Southern India.
Methods: A retrospective analysis of all patients with a clinical suspicion of PID/IEI seen at a tertiary care hospital was performed. All patients had at least one or more warning signs of PID. Serum immunoglobulin levels and other targeted investigations were performed as warranted by the clinical presentation. All families with suspected PID were counseled and offered genetic testing.
Results: A total of 225 children were evaluated for PID during the study period of 6 y. Fifty-six of them did not meet the European Society of Immunodeficiencies (ESID) criteria (working definition of clinical diagnosis) and were excluded. An IEI was found in 30/49 (61.2%) patients. The most frequent reason for referral was recurrent/unusual or serious infections (28%), or cytopenia (16%). Group IV diseases of immune dysregulation was the most common category (19%), followed by group III predominant antibody deficiencies in 23/163 (14%), as per the International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS) classification.
Conclusions: This study highlights the heterogeneity of the present cohort, the underuse of genetic tests, and efforts to provide optimal care for children with possible IEI in this center.
Keywords: Agammaglobulinemia; Immune dysregulation; Inborn errors of immunity (IEI); Primary immunodeficiency diseases (PID); Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID).
© 2021. The Author(s).