Immunodeficiency Health Article

Prevention

Primary or congenital immunodeficiencies are genetic and are not preventable by avoidance of exposures or by dietary measures. However, someone with a congenital immunodeficiency disorder might want to consider getting genetic counseling before having children in order to find out if there is a chance they will pass the defect on to their children.

Some of the infections associated with acquired immunodeficiency can be prevented or treated before they cause problems. For example, there are effective treatments for tuberculosis and most bacterial and fungal infections. HIV infection can be prevented by practicing safe sex (e.g. using a condom) and by not using illegal intravenous drugs. These are the primary routes of transmitting the virus.

Parental concerns

If a child has been diagnosed with an immunodeficiency disorder, the parents may be instructed to refrain from having normal childhood vaccinations that contain live viruses, since even weakened versions of the virus may cause serious disease. In some cases, the immuno-deficient child needs to be encouraged to wear a mask when in public or around family members who are sick in order to reduce the risk of developing an infection.

BOOKS

Doan, Thao. Concise Medical Immunology. Hagerstown, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2005.

Fireman, Philip. Atlas of Allergies and Clinical Immunology. St. Louis, MO: Mosby, 2005.

Mahon, Connie. Clinical Immunology. Paramus, NJ: Prentice Hall PTR, 2005.

Playfair, J. H., et al. Immunology at a Glance. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing, 2005.

PERIODICALS

Bonilla, Francisco A., and Raif S. Geha. "Primary Immunodeficiency Disorders." Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 112, no. 2 (February 1, 2003): S571–81.

Cooper, Megan A., Thomas L. Pommering, and Katalin Koranyi. "Primary Immunodeficiencies." American Family Physician (November 15, 2003): 2001.

Fischer, Alain. "Have We Seen the Last Variant of Severe Combined Immunodeficiency?" The New England Journal of Medicine (November 6, 2003): 1789.

ORGANIZATIONS

Children Affected by AIDS Foundation. 6033 W. Century Blvd., Suite 280, Los Angeles, CA 90045. Web site: <www.caaf4kids.org>.

Immune Deficiency Foundation. 40 W. Chesapeake Ave., Suite 308, Towson, MD 21204. Web site: <www.primaryimmune.org>.

WEB SITES

Frye, Richard E., and Delia M. Rivera-Hernandez. "Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection." eMedicine, December 14, 2004. Available online at <www.emedicine.com/ped/topic1027.htm> (accessed January 7, 2005).

Makhoul, Hanan, et al. "Combined B-Cell and T-Cell Disorders." eMedicine, June 29, 2003. Available online at <www.emedicine.com/med/topic3538.htm> (accessed January 7, 2005).

Park, C. Lucy. "Common Variable Immunodeficiency." eMedicine. May 26, 2004. Available online at <www.emedicine.com/ped/topic444.htm> (accessed January 7, 2005).

Trigg, Michael. "Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Syndrome." Nemours Foundation, August 2002. Available online at <http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/allergies/severe_immunodeficiency.html> (accessed January 7, 2005).

Wong, Henry, and Clarissa Yang. "Severe Combined Immunodeficiency." eMedicine, November 12, 2002. Available online at <www.emedicine.com/derm/topic879.htm> (accessed January 7, 2005).

John T. Lohr, PhD Teresa G. Odle Stephanie Dionne Sherk