Combined immunodeficiencies: twenty years experience from a single center in Turkey

Combined immunodeficiencies (CIDs) include a group of inherited monogenic disorders. CIDs are characterized by defective cellular and humoral immunities that lead to severe infections. CIDs can be classified according to immunologic phenotypes as T(-)B(-)NK(-) CID, T(-)B(-)NK(+) CID, T(-)B(+)NK(-) CID and T(-)B(+)NK(+) CID. In a 20-year period, from 1994 to 2014, a total of 40 CID patients were diagnosed at the Pediatric Immunology of Erciyes University Medical Faculty in Kayseri, Turkey. The gender ratio (F/M) was 3/5. The median age at the onset of symptoms was 2 months (range, 15 days - 15 years). Of the 14 T(-)B(-)NK(-) CIDs, 6, 2 (siblings), 1, 1 and 4 had a mutation in the ADA, PNP, Artemis, RAG1 genes and unknown genetic diagnosis respectively. Of the 15 T(-)B(-)NK(+) CIDs, 3, 2 (siblings) and 10 had a mutation in the RAG1, XLF/Cernunnos genes and unknown genetic diagnosis respectively. Of the 9 T(-)B(+)NK(-) CIDs, 2 siblings, 1, 1 and 5 had a mutation in the ZAP70, IL2RG, DOCK8 genes and unknown genetic diagnosis respectively. Of the 2 T(-)B(+)NK(+) CIDs, 2 had a mutation in the MAGT1 and ZAP70 genes respectively. Of the 40 CIDs, 26 (65%) were died and 14 (35%) are alive. Eight patients received HSCT (hematopoietic stem cell transplantation) with 62.5% survival rate. As a result, patients presented with severe infections in the first months of life have to be examined for CIDs. Shortening time of diagnosis would increase chance of HSCT as life-saving treatment in the CID patients.