[Morphological changes in the lymphatic system of children with hereditary immunologic deficiency syndromes]

The morphology of lymphatic tissues in 43 autopsy cases of children with inherited immunodeficiency states were analysed. Among the more common diseases, such as Di-George-syndrome, CID-patients, congenital agammaglobulinemia Bruton, CVID, selective IG-A deficiency, Wiskott-Aldrich-syndrome, tissue sections of very rare conditions associated with immunodeficiency, e.g. fetopathia diabetica and leprechaunismus, were investigated by routine and immunohistochemical stainings. Clinical history and laboratory data, augmented by the characteristic pathomorphology of lymphatic tissue sections, will establish or at least suggest a definite diagnosis. Since true thymic dysplasia is very rare (or even non-existent) in the human, this term should be abandoned. Severe thymic tissue alterations in SCID-patients, occur secondary to enzyme defects in lymphatic cells. If patients are successfully treated by bone marrow transplantation, the thymus will subsequently develop into a functionally normal organ.