What are symptoms of immune deficiency?
Infections are common and just a part of everyday life. It’s normal to get a cold or a “stomach” bug every once in a while. But people with an immune deficiency can have a very different course than someone with an intact immune system.
Immune deficient patients may have unusual infections with uncommon viruses, fungi or bacteria. They may have more severe infections that involve the bloodstream or brain, requiring hospitalization. Or they may be sick for a lot longer or require several rounds or higher doses of medication to get better.
If you or your child has recurrent:
- ear infections
- sinus infections
- severe eczema
- bronchitis
- diarrhea
- poor growth or “failure to thrive”
- or has unusual or severe infections requiring hospitalization
then you may need an immune evaluation.
Our goal in diagnosing an immune deficiency is to help patients find out:
- why they are always sick,
- why they always have poor energy,
- why they get more infections than others,
- why they miss more days of work due to illness
Treatment for immune deficiency?
The goals of the medical treatment and supportive care are to reduce the frequency of infections, prevent complications from prolonged or unusual infections, and prevent an acute infection from becoming chronic and potentially causing irreversible organ damage. It is a team effort – the patient, family and members of the healthcare team must work together and effectively communicate among each other if these goals are to be accomplished. Treatment may involve antibiotics, vaccinations, immune supplementation and frequent checkups to monitor progress. Together, we can help patients with immune deficiency can lead happy, successful and productive lives.