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Please note: This information was as
current as we could make it on the date given above. But medical information is
always changing, and some information given here may be out of date. For
regularly updated information on a variety of health topics, please visit
familydoctor.org, the AAFP patient
education Web site. |
An article on this topic is available in this issue of
AFP.
Warning Signs of Primary Immunodeficiency
What is a primary immunodeficiency?
A primary immunodeficiency is a genetic problem with the immune system. The immune system protects the body against infection--and fights infection when it happens.
People who have a primary immunodeficiency disorder get infections easily. The infections tend to come back often and are hard to cure.
There are more than 80 different kinds of primary immunodeficiency disorders. Some are common. Others are rare.
What are some warning signs of a primary immunodeficiency?
As part of a national educational program, The Jeffrey Modell Foundation (http://www. jmfworld.com) has developed a list of warning signs for primary immunodeficiency. Talk to your doctor if you or your child has more than one of these warning signs:
- Eight or more ear infections in one year
- Two or more serious sinus infections in one year.
- An infection that does not get better even after two or more months of antibiotic therapy
- Poor weight gain or lack of normal growth in your baby
- Deep skin or organ abscesses that keep coming back
- After the age of one year, hard-to cure thrush (a fungal infection) in the mouth or elsewhere in the skin
- Need for intravenous antibiotic treatment to clear infections
- Two or more serious infections deep below the skin
- A family history of primary immunodeficiency
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More Information About Primary Immunodeficiency For more information, you can contact these groups:
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This handout provides a general overview on this topic and may not apply to everyone. To find out if this handout applies to you and to get more information on this subject, talk to your family doctor.
Visit familydoctor.org for information on this and many other health-related topics.
Copyright © 2003 by the American Academy of Family
Physicians.
Permission is granted to print and photocopy this material for
nonprofit educational uses. Written permission is required for all other uses,
including electronic uses.
