Congenital and Acquired Immunodeficiencies

The development of the immune system and its function are outlined in Chapter 1. Congenital immunodeficiencies are rare; more details can be found in pediatric textbooks. Here, only the most important entities are discussed. Acquired immunodeficiencies are observed in many lymphoproliferative disorders and during treatment with steroids or chemotherapy with cytostatic drugs. The deficiency of cellular immunity induced by HIV infection is a common problem in many countries. In this chapter, we describe only some hematological consequences of HIV infection.