Primary Immunodeficiency: Types, Symptoms, and Treatment

What Are Primary Immunodeficiencies?

If your child has a primary immunodeficiency disease (PIDD), their immune system doesn’t work the way it should. That means their body has a harder time fighting off germs that can make them sick. A common cold that’s no big deal for others could turn into a severe infection that takes a long time to go away or needs treatment from a doctor.

When you first learn that your child has a PIDD, you might worry that infections are going to rage out of control. But lots of treatments can keep symptoms in check and help your child stay healthy and active.

“Primary immune deficiency has made a lot of advancements in the last 30 years,” says Inderpal Randhawa, MD, board-certified internist, immunologist, pediatrician, pediatric pulmonologist, and medical director of the Children’s Pulmonary Institute at MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach in Long Beach, CA.

If your child has one of the more common forms of PIDD, “there are really wonderful opportunities for care that can allow them to lead a normal life,” says Randhawa. “It’s not simple. It requires testing and specialty care. It might involve taking certain medications or certain infusions. But most of the folks who get diagnosed can be managed on an outpatient basis. The side effects to treatment are very few and manageable. And long-term, [people with some types of PIDD] appear to do very well.”

Here’s what else you need to know about this group of immunodeficiency diseases.

Types of Primary Immunodeficiencies

Many cases of PIDD are first found in babies or young children, but sometimes symptoms don’t show up until adulthood.

Immunodeficiency disorders can be tricky to diagnose since there are many different types. All kinds make your child more likely to get sick from infections. Milder immunodeficiency disorders are often well-managed with medication, while severe cases require more intense care. In some cases, a bone marrow (stem cell) transplant may be needed.

There are over 550 different kinds of immunodeficiency disorders. The list includes: