Common variable immunodeficiency
| Common variable immunodeficiency | |
| ICD-10 | D83 |
|---|---|
| ICD-9 | 279.06 |
| OMIM | 240500 |
| DiseasesDB | 3274 |
| MeSH | D017074 |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor-In-Chief: Mohsen Basiri M.D.
Synonyms and keywords: CVID; common variable hypogammaglobulinaemia; non-familial hypogammaglobulinaemia; acquired hypogammaglobulinemia; immunodeficiency, common variable; late-onset immunoglobulin deficiency
Overview
Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is a primary immunodeficiency disorder. It is the most common form of severe antibody deficiency affecting both children and adults. The characteristic immune defect in CVID is impaired B cell differentiation with defective production of immunoglobulin. CVID is defined by low total serum concentrations of immunoglobulin G (IgG), as well as low immunoglobulin A (IgA) and/or immunoglobulin M (IgM), poor or absent response to immunization, and the absence of any other defined immunodeficiency state.
Most patients are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40 years. Delayed recognition is common.
Bacterial infections of the sinopulmonary tract, particularly sinusitis and pneumonia, are experienced by most patients with CVID. Opportunistic and unusual infections are uncommon, but do occur.
In addition to recurrent infections, patients with CVID have evidence of immune dysregulation leading to autoimmunity, a variety of inflammatory disorders, and malignant disease. Patients may suffer from chronic lung disease, gastrointestinal and liver disorders, granulomatous infiltrations, lymphoid hyperplasia, splenomegaly, or malignancy.
Various forms of primary and secondary hypogammaglobulinemia must be excluded before the diagnosis of CVID can be assigned.The diagnosis of CVID requires a suggestive clinical history, a reduced total serum concentration of IgG, plus low IgA or IgM, and poor responses to both protein- and polysaccharide-based vaccines.
Historical Perspective
Charles Janeway et al (1953) is generally credited with the description of the first case of CVID.[1]
Classification
Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is a heterogeneous immune disorder characterized by recurrent sinopulmonary infections, autoimmune disorders, granulomatous disease, and an enhanced risk of malignancy
A phenotypic approach to categorizing CVID has been proposed, based upon the type of complications the patient develops. This arose from an analysis of the European Common Variable Immunodeficiency Disorders registry, in which 334 patients with CVID were followed for an average of 26 years . Five phenotypic categories were proposed:[2]
- Patients with no complications
- Patients with autoimmune disease
- Patients with lymphocytic organ infiltration (ie, lymphocytic enteropathy, granulomas, unexplained hepatomegaly, persistent lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, and/or lymphoid interstitial pneumonitis)
- Patients with predominant enteropathy
- Patients with lymphoid malignancy
Pathophysiology
The exact pathophysiology of CVID is not fully understood. CVID is a group of disorders with a common endpoint of defective immunoglobulin secretion and dysregulated immune functions. The clinical dissimilarity of CVID proposes that multiple immunoregulatory dysfunctions can result in the final common pathway of hypogammaglobulinemia. [3]
The immune defect in CVID is due to defective B cell differentiation into plasma cells, with the inability to produce immunoglobulin. CVID is associated with a high occurrence of autoimmune, inflammatory, and malignant disorders, whereas these conditions are not observed in X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA), a disease that affects early B cell development.
CVID appears to result from a number of gene defects. which may be either recessive in inheritance or autosomal dominant with variable penetrance. Some of these are due to defects of B cell signalling molecules but additional genes affecting immune regulation may also lead to the CVID phenotype.
| Type | Gene | Immunoglobulin Deficiency | Phenotype |
|---|---|---|---|
| ICOS deficiency | ICOS | Low IgG and IgA | Recurrent infections, autoimmunity, gastroenteritis. |
| CD19 deficiency | CD19 | Low IgG and IgA | Recurrent infections.
May be associated with glomerulonephritis. |
| CD81 deficiency | CD81 | Low IgG, low or normal IgA and IgM | Recurrent infections.
May be associated with glomerulonephritis. |
| CD20 deficiency | CD20 | Low IgG, normal or elevated IgM, and IgA | Recurrent infections. |
| CD21 deficiency | CD21 | Low IgG; impaired antipneumococcal response | Recurrent infections. |
| TACI deficiency | TNFRSF13B | Low IgG and IgA and/or IgM | Variable clinical expression |
| BAFF-receptor
deficiency |
TNFRSF13C | Low IgG and IgM | Variable clinical expression |
| TWEAK deficiency | TWEAK | Low IgM and IgA; lack of antipneumococcal antibody | Recurrent infections such as Pneumonia, bacterial infections, warts;
and thrombocytopenia; neutropenia |
| NF-kappa-B2
deficiency |
NFKB2 | Low IgG and IgA and IgM; very low B cells in some | Recurrent infections; adrenal insufficiency;
ACTH deficiency; alopecia |
| NF-kappa-B1
deficiency |
NFKB1 | Low IgG and IgA and IgM; low B cells in some | Recurrent infections |
| IKAROS | IKZF1 | Low IgG and IgA and IgM, very low B cells | Recurrent infections |
Causes
Differentiating Common Variable Immunodeficiency from other Diseases
CVID should be differentiated from the following diseases:
Epidemiology and Demographics
Prevalence
CVID has an estimated prevalence ranging from a low of 2 per 100,000 to a high of 4 per 100,000 with an average of 3 per 100,000.
Age
- The typical patient is after puberty and between 20 and 40 years age.
- About 20% of patients are diagnosed in childhood.
- In an analysis of the CVID data from the ESID about 35 percent of patients were diagnosed before 10 years of age; and in studies from United States centers, 20 percent of patients are diagnosed before the age of 20 years. The majority of patients are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 45.
Gender
Gender is not associated with an increased risk of common variable immunodeficiency.
Race
Race is not associated with an increased risk of common variable immunodeficiency.
Natural History, Complications and Prognosis
Natural History
All patients have acute and recurrent infections because of the level of immunodeficiency in CVID.
Complications
3 complications are possible in CVID. They include:
- Recurrent infections
- Autoimmune phenomena - Vitiligo, autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, hemolytic anemia
- Malignancy - Lymphomas, gastric cancer, malignant melanoma
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Vitiligo
- Thrombocytopenia
- Neutropenia
- Hemolytic anemia
- Pernicious anemia
- Malabsorption
- Autoimmune hepatitis
- Primary biliary cirrhosis
- Atrophic gastritis
- Inflammatory bowel disease
Prognosis
Diagnosis
History and Symptoms
Symptoms of CVID are:
- Polyarthritis, or joint pain, spread across most joints, but specifically fingers, wrists, elbows, toes, ankles and knees
- Chronic infections (most common symptom) specifically upper respiratory tract infection - e.g. bronchitis, sinusitis which respond to antibiotics but return or reoccur. Common infective organisms include:
- Viral infections that usually respond to antivirals, (URTIs), sinusitis, tonsilitis, epiglottitis, dermatological abscesses/boils (often, but not exclusively, facial and axillary), pneumonia, bronchitis, pleurisy, stomach/intestinal infections, colds, influenza, shingles, conjunctivitis
- Tiredness
- Shortness of breath - due to bronchiectasis (lung tissue damage as a result of repeated chest infections)
- Patients may lose weight
- Children may show a "failure to thrive" - they may be underweight and underdeveloped compared with "normal" peers
- Diarrhoea and malabsorption - due to villous atrophy in the small intestine, which can resemble coeliac disease, intestinal infections, including protozoan and parasitic infections, bacterial overgrowth of the intestine
- Increased incidence of inflammatory bowel disease
- Abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss.
Physical Examination
Head
Abdomen
Laboratory Findings
- Complete blood count and differential count - lymphocytopenia
- Blood culture
- Hypogammaglobulinemia, or low levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgA and/or IgM. Lack of normal levels of antibody in the serum is part of the diagnosis
- Poor titer levels in response to vaccination. Responsiveness may be tested after administration of polysaccharide and non-polysaccharide coated pathogens (e.g. streptococci and tetanus respectively)
Diagnosis is often delayed; and diagnosis is often made in the second or third decade of life after referral to an immunologist.
As with several other immune cell disorders, CVID may predispose to lymphoma or possibly stomach cancer. There also appears to be a predilection for autoimmune diseases, with a risk of up to 25%. Autoimmune destruction of platelets or red blood cells are the commonest of these.
Imaging Findings
Other Diagnostic Studies
Treatment
Medical Therapy
Treatment usually consists of immunoglobulin therapy, which is an injection of human antibodies harvested from blood donations:
- Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG, most common treatment)
- Subcutaneous immunoglobulin G (SCIG, relatively new therapy)
- Intramuscular immunglobulin (IMIG, less effective, painful).
This is not a cure, but it strengthens immunity by ensuring that the patient has "normal" levels of antibodies, which helps to prevent recurrent upper respiratory infections.
IG therapy can't be used if the patient has anti-IgA antibodies but in this case, products low in IgA can be used; subcutaneous delivery also is a means of permitting such patients to have adequate antibody replacement.
IVIG treatment can be received by patients with a complete IgA deficiency if the IgA is completely removed from the treatment.
Some CVID patients may experience reactions to IG therapies; reactions may include:
- Anaphylactic shock (very rare)
- Hives (rare)
- Difficulty breathing
- Headache (relatively common, may be relieved by an antihistamine, paracetamol / acetaminophen, or an anti-inflammatory (naproxen, advil, aspirin)
- Nausea (common)
- Fever (common)
- Aseptic meningitis (rare)
- Severe fatigue
- Muscle aches and pain, or joint pain
- Thrombotic events (rare)
Patients should not receive therapy if they are fighting an active infection as this increases the risk of reaction. Also, patients changing from one brand of product to another may be at higher risk of reaction for the first couple of treatments on the new brand.
Reactions can be minimised by taking an antihistamine and/or hydrocortisone and some paracetamol/acetaminophen/anti-inflammatory (naproxen, advil, aspirin) prior to treatment; patients should also be thoroughly hydrated and continue to drink water before, after and during treatment (if possible).
Surgery
Primary Prevention
Secondary Prevention
References
- ↑ Janeway CA, Apt L, Gitlin D. Agammaglobulinemia. Trans Assoc Am Physicians 1953;66:200-2. PMID 13136263
- ↑ Helen Chapel, Mary Lucas, Martin Lee, Janne Bjorkander, David Webster, Bodo Grimbacher, Claire Fieschi, Vojtech Thon, Mohammad R. Abedi & Lennart Hammarstrom (2008). "Common variable immunodeficiency disorders: division into distinct clinical phenotypes". Blood. 112 (2): 277–286. doi:10.1182/blood-2007-11-124545. PMID 18319398. Unknown parameter
|month=ignored (help) - ↑ C. Cunningham-Rundles & C. Bodian (1999). "Common variable immunodeficiency: clinical and immunological features of 248 patients". Clinical immunology (Orlando, Fla.). 92 (1): 34–48. doi:10.1006/clim.1999.4725. PMID 10413651. Unknown parameter
|month=ignored (help)
External links
- Primary Immunodeficiency Association (UK)
- Immune Deficiency Foundation (US)
- Immune Deficiencies Foundation of Australia
- Immune Deficiencies Foundation of New Zealand
- IPOPI (International Patient Organisation for Patients with Primary Immunodeficiency)
- Canadian Immunodeficiencies Patient Organization (Canada)