Inborn Errors of Immunity in Pediatric Intensive Care: Prevalence, Characteristics, and Prognosis
Year: 2025
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: The aim of this study was to screen for inborn errors of immunity (IEIs) within a pediatric critical care population and further evaluate the mortality-related factors.This study included 1203 pediatric patients aged between 1 month and 18 years admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at Antalya Education and Research Hospital (in Turkey) between January 2020 and December 2022. Patients with chronic diseases, ongoing chronic medication regimens, other known comorbidities, traumas, postsurgical cases, poisonings, and preexisting IEI diagnoses were excluded.In this single-center prospective study, a total of 28 warning signs for IEI diagnosis were applied, including 10 per the Jeffery Modell Foundation (JMF) and 18 per literature review. Patients with severe illness requiring intensive care and at least 1 IEI warning sign were evaluated. These patients underwent standardized immunological screening, then those with abnormal findings had an extended immunologic assessment including functional analyses. Genetic analyses were conducted on those with abnormal findings concerning for IEI. Diagnoses of IEI were established using the European Society for Immunodeficiencies criteria and further categorized based on the International Union of Immunological Societies classification.Of the 1203 patients admitted to the PICU, 75 (6.2%) patients had at least 1 IEI warning sign and no exclusionary diagnoses. This study found a 4.3% confirmed IEI prevalence rate in the PICU during the 3-year study period. More than half (51.5%) of these patients presented with sepsis, 36.4% with acute respiratory failure, and 12.1% with neuroinflammatory disorders. The median age was 16 months, and there was a male predominance (60.6%). Consanguinity was present in 66.7% of the patients. History of severe viral infections was the most common IEI warning sign (61%), followed by life-threatening infections (51.7%), sibling/cousin death (25%), and a history of more than 2 episodes of pneumonia per year (22.5%). Only 31% of patients had 2 or more of the JMF warning signs. Regarding types of IEIs identified, nearly half (48.5%) were diagnosed with an immune dysregulation disorder, with the most prominent IEI diagnosis being hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Combined immunodeficiencies were also commonly identified (24.2%), followed by defects in innate immunity (15.2%) and predominant antibody deficiencies (6.1%). Genetic testing was performed on 78.8% (26/33) of patients with an IEI diagnosis. Among the 33 patients with confirmed IEI, the mortality rate was 58%.Patients with IEI can present critically ill without classic warning signs and have a high mortality rate. This highlights the need for systematic screening to reach early diagnosis and treatment, especially in critically ill children.This study highlights a significant yet underrecognized prevalence of IEI in PICUs. The identification of IEI in nearly 1 in 20 critically ill children and reported high mortality rate of 58% emphasizes the need for earlier screening and detection with targeted immunologic/genetic evaluation. The study also found that only 31% of patients exhibited 2 or more JMF warning signs, suggesting a need for wider criteria, especially in the PICU. Limitations of the study include a single-center study in a country with high consanguinity, thus limiting generalizability. There was a small sample size of only 33 patients with new IEI diagnosis, and data were limited to their hospitalization without long-term follow-up related to mortality. Despite these limitations, this study reinforces that IEIs are more common than traditionally thought and general pediatricians, as well as PICU specialists, have a critical role in early suspicion, diagnosis, and seeking immunology consultation to reduce mortality and long-term morbidity.
Source: PEDIATRICS
Authors: Natalie M. Eidson, Kelli W. Williams
Language: English
Subfield: Immunology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4416832642
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