The spectrum of primary immunodeficiencies at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan

Authors

Sonia Qureshi, Aga Khan UniversityFollow
Fatima Mir, Aga Khan UniversityFollow
Samina Junejo, Indus Hospital, Korangi Road, Karachi, Pakistan
Khalid Saleem, Children's Hospital and The Institute of Child Health, Multan, Pakistan
Samreen Zaidi, National Institute of Blood Disease & Bone Marrow Transplantation, Pakistan
Abdullah B. Naveed, Aga Khan UniversityFollow
Khalil Ahmad, Aga Khan UniversityFollow
Farah Naz Qamar, Aga Khan UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Department

Paediatrics and Child Health

Abstract

Background: Primary Immunodeficiency Disorders (PIDs) are well-known disorders in the West. but the recognition and diagnosis of these disorders is challenging in developing countries. We present the spectrum of PIDs seen at a tertiary care center in Pakistan, identified using clinical case definitions and molecular methods.
Methods: A retrospective chart review of children suspected to have PID was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) Karachi, Pakistan from 2010 to 2016. Data on demographics, clinical features, family history of consanguinity, sibling death, details of laboratory workup done for PID and molecular tests targeted panel next generation sequencing (NGS) or whole exome sequencing (WES) performed at the Geha laboratory at Boston Children's Hospital, USA was collected. The study was exempted from the Ethical Review Committee of AKUH.
Results: A total of 43 children visited the hospital with suspected PID during the study period. Genetic testing was performed in 31/43 (72.1%) children. A confirmed diagnosis of PID was established in 20/43 (46.5%) children. A pathogenic gene variant was identified in 17(85%) of the 20 confirmed cases (Table 1). Twelve (60%) of the confirmed cases of PID were male. The most common presenting symptom was recurrent diarrhea 11/20 (55%). The mean (±S.D) age of the cases at the time of diagnosis was 4.2 (±4.1) years. Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) was the most common 6/20 (30%) disorder, followed by severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) 3/20 (15%), leukocyte adhesion deficiency (LAD) 3/20 (15%), agammaglobulinemia/hypogammaglobulinemia 3/20 (15%), and Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome (HPS) 2/20 (10%). Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome, Immunodeficiency Centromeric Instability and Facial Anomalies Syndrome (ICF 2), Trichohepatoenteric syndrome (TRES), and C3 deficiency were each diagnosed once {1/20 (4.3%) each} (Table 1). Of these 20 confirmed cases, almost all 19/20 (95%) had a family history of consanguinity. Sibling death was reported in 5/20 (25%) of these cases. Five out of the 20 (25%) children died over the 7-year period for various reasons.
Conclusion: PIDs are not uncommon in Pakistan; their diagnosis may be missed or delayed due to the overlapping of clinical features of PID with other diseases and a lack of diagnostic facilities. There is a need to build capacity for early recognition and diagnosis of PIDs to decrease morbidity and mortality.

Comments

Pagination are not provided by the author/publisher

Publication (Name of Journal)

World Allergy Organization Journal

Recommended Citation

Qureshi, S., Mir, F., Junejo, S., Saleem, K., Zaidi, S., Naveed, A. B., Ahmad, K., Qamar, F. N. (2020). The spectrum of primary immunodeficiencies at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan. World Allergy Organization Journal, 13(7), 100133.
Available at: https://ecommons.aku.edu/pakistan_fhs_mc_women_childhealth_paediatr/946

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.