Awareness of primary immunodeficiency diseases at a national pediatric reference center in Peru

To investigate the level of awareness of primary immunodeficiency diseases among physicians working at Instituto Nacional de Salud del Niño.

Cross-sectional study including pediatric residents and pediatricians working at the Instituto Nacional de Salud del Niño during the study period (2017-2019). Physicians working at the immunology unit and surgery departments were excluded. Three aspects of awareness of primary immunodeficiency diseases were investigated: education, general knowledge, and diagnostic suspicion and actions taken in the face of suspicion.

This sample comprised 83 physicians with a median age of 33 years. Most physicians were women (71.1%) and half were pediatric residents. During their undergraduate studies, 43.1% had taken primary immunodeficiency disease courses, and 39.2% had attended conferences on this topic. During their residency training, 25.9% had taken primary immunodeficiency disease courses, and 60.3% had participated in conferences on this topic. Among pediatricians, 50% had taken primary immunodeficiency disease courses, and 53.1% had attended conferences on this topic. Only 39.8% of physicians reported being familiar with the list of 10 warning signs developed by the Jeffrey Modell Foundation. More than half of physicians considered the lack of access to laboratory tests the major challenge in making diagnosis of primary immunodeficiency diseases.

This study revealed limited awareness of primary immunodeficiency diseases among physicians working at Instituto Nacional de Salud del Niño. Although most physicians suspected primary immunodeficiency diseases in patients with a history of recurrent infections and frequent use of antibiotics, not all of them were familiar with the list of 10 warning signs proposed by the Jeffrey Modell Foundation, nor were they able to describe ancillary tests requested in suspected cases.