A 20-YEAR SURVEY OF INFECTIOUS COMPLICATIONS IN 64 PATIENTS WITH COMMON VARIABLE IMMUNODEFICIENCY

Common variable immunodeficiency (CV ID) is a heterogeneous primary immunodeficiency disorder, characterized by hypogammaglobulinemia and increased susceptibility to recurrent bacterial infections. To determine the spectrum of infectious complications in patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CV ID), we reviewed the hospital records of 64 CVID patients, who were diagnosed in Children's Medical Center during a period of 20 years. Among our patients, there were 38 males and 26 females, with a median age of 12 years (2-42 years) at the time of study. The median age of diagnosis was 6.1 years, with an average diagnostic delay of 5.2 years in our patient's group. Almost all of our patients have suffered from acute and recurrent infections, particularly in the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems. The majority of patients (82.5%) had pneumonia prior to diagnosis. The other infectious complications seen in our patients were as follows: recurrent otitis media (54%), recurrent sinusitis (50.8%), diarrhea (65.1 %), and bacterial meningitis (11.1 %). Unusual or opportunistic infections were also seen in some of our patient population, including oral candidiasis in 10 patients, and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in 2 subjects. Based on this study, we suggest that hypogammaglobulinemia should be considered in any patient with a history of recurrent infections in different organs, and such patients should have a full assessment of the immune system.