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Therapeutic management of primary immunodeficiency in older patients

Nisha Verma1, Anthony Thaventhiran, Benjamin Gathmann

  • 1Department of Immunology and Molecular Pathology, Royal Free Hospital and University College London, London, UK.

Drugs & Aging
|April 23, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Primary immunodeficiency disease (PID) increasingly affects elderly patients, yet clinical evidence for their management is scarce. This review focuses on antibody deficiency syndromes, the most common PID type in older adults.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Geriatrics
  • Clinical Medicine

Background:

  • Primary immunodeficiency disease (PID) traditionally diagnosed in children.
  • Advances in diagnosis and treatment increase the number of elderly PID patients.
  • Limited research exists for managing PID in older adults.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the management of PID in the elderly.
  • To focus on antibody deficiency syndromes, prevalent in this demographic.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature and data from the European Society for Immunodeficiencies.
  • Analysis of management strategies for elderly PID patients.
  • Focus on predominantly antibody deficiency syndromes.

Main Results:

  • Elderly PID patients are increasingly common.
  • Predominantly antibody deficiency syndromes are the most frequent PID type in the elderly.
  • Clinical management often relies on extrapolations from other patient groups.

Conclusions:

  • There is a critical need for evidence-based guidelines for elderly PID management.
  • Further research is required to optimize care for this growing patient population.
  • Antibody deficiency syndromes require specific attention in geriatric PID care.

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