Evaluation of Clinical and Laboratory Data in Patients with Recurrent Infections and Suspected Immunodeficiency

Introduction: Frequent infections is among the most frequent clinical dilemmas for primary care physicians. Immunodeficiency disorders are a heterogeneous group of illnesses that predispose patients to the recurrent infections, autoimmunity and malignancies. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical and laboratory data collected for the final diagnosis of patients referred with recurrent infections and suspected immunodeficiency to a local immunodeficiency clinic. Materials and Methods: This epidemiological study was carried out between April 2010 to September 2012 at the Immunodeficiency Clinic of Mashhad-Iran. All patients with clinical manifestations of immunodeficiency who were referred to our clinic during this period of time were included in this study. Results: Forty one patients, aged between 10 months and 51 years, were evaluated. Eleven patients had a primary immunodeficiency, four cases had a secondary immunodeficiency, in three patients an underlying structural disease were found, eight patients were predisposed to recurrent infections as a result of allergies and finally, fifteen cases were found to be normal individuals. Discussion: Most patients with recurrent infection have a normal immune system. Allergic disorders are the most common predisposing factor to recurrent infection. However, as immunodeficiency disorders are potentially serious, early diagnosis can improve the quality of life and outcome and prevent severe sequels in future.