Immunodeficiency diseases: head and neck manifestations

Infections of the upper respiratory tract are common to both the immunodeficient and the normal child during their development. The most common head and neck manifestations of immunodeficiency disease are recurrent suppurative otitis media, tonsillitis, sinusitis, rhinitis, and nasopharyngitis. Often the head and neck specialist is confronted with a child with one or more of these problems and must institute the appropriate therapy or decide on an avenue for further investigation. This paper outlines the major immunodeficiency state, discusses the immune defects thought to be responsible for the spectrum of clinical findings, and suggests a systematic approach to the evaluation of these difficult diseases. The recognition of immunodeficient individuals is an important step in their treatment so that adjunctive immunological therapy can be provided.