Related Experiment Videos
Immunoglobulin deficiency in children with a sudden overwhelming infection
A Lantz1, J Armstrong, E Truemper
1Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta 30912-3790, USA.
Insights
Children over one year old with sudden overwhelming infection (SOI) show a higher incidence of immunoglobulin (Ig) deficiency. Early detection of Ig deficiency is crucial for managing severe infections in pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric critical care
- Immunology
- Infectious diseases
Background:
- Sudden overwhelming infection (SOI) can rapidly progress to shock and death in previously healthy children.
- Undetected immunoglobulin (Ig) deficiency may be an underlying factor in some pediatric SOI cases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the frequency of Ig deficiency in children experiencing SOI.
- To compare Ig levels in SOI patients with age-matched controls.
Main Methods:
- A case series of 18 children with SOI (fatal or PICU admission) was conducted.
- Age-matched control groups included infected and non-infected children.
- Serum samples were analyzed for total IgG, IgG subclasses, IgM, and IgA.
Main Results:
- Children over 1 year with SOI had a significantly higher incidence of Ig deficiency (67%) compared to controls (11%), P = .002.
- Specific deficiencies included isolated IgG, combined IgG and IgA, and combined IgG and IgM.
Conclusions:
- Children over 1 year presenting with SOI have a significantly increased incidence of Ig deficiencies.
- This highlights the importance of considering Ig deficiency in pediatric patients with severe infections.
Background:
A small percentage of previously healthy children develop a sudden overwhelming infection (SOI) that rapidly progresses and results in shock and, occasionally, death. Some of these children may have an undetected Ig deficiency.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of Ig deficiency in children with a SOI.
Methods:
A case series study was conducted in a university hospital and included 18 children who either died in the emergency room or required admission to the pediatric intensive care unit secondary to a SOI. Two age-matched control groups included children hospitalized to regular floor beds with an infectious process (infected control group) or a noninfectious process (noninfected control group). Serum left from the initial blood draw, before fluid resuscitation, was collected and stored at -70 degrees C. Total IgG, IgG subclasses, IgM, and IgA were assayed by rate nephelometry in a blinded fashion.
Results:
In the study group, one of six children under 1 year of age had low Ig levels in comparison with two of nine control patients. In those children over the age of 1 year, 8 of 12 patients (67%) had low Ig levels as compared with 2 of 19 controls (11%) by Fisher's exact test, P = .002. Of those patients with Ig deficiencies, three of eight had isolated IgG deficiency, two of eight had combined IgG and IgA deficiency, three of eight had combined IgG and IgM deficiency.
Conclusions:
Children over the age of 1 year who present with a SOI have a significantly higher incidence of Ig deficiencies compared with age-matched controls.