When a patient has both primary immune deficiency and autoimmune disease, the combination can lead to life-threatening complications. Here are some insights into the challenges of diagnosing and treating this rare subset of patients…
Fellows’ Forum Case Report: Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis
The patient was a 48-year-old woman who saw her primary care physician for a flu-like illness three months prior to admission. Her symptoms initially improved, but recurred one month later; she was treated symptomatically, and again symptoms resolved. Two months later, she presented to an outside facility’s emergency department with fever to 103ºF, with associated…
ADA2 Mutation Connects Vascular Pathology to Immunodeficiency
Two new studies that examine the effects of a genetic defect in adenosine deaminase 2 may advance a gene-based definition of vasculopathy
The Mystery of IVIg
Although initially given as replacement therapy for patients with primary and secondary immunodeficiency states, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) has proven to be effective in the treatment of various autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. This success has led to a dramatic increase in the use of IVIg, with its use as an antiinflammatory agent now vastly surpassing its use in the treatment of immunodeficiencies. Even so, the basis for the antiinflammatory activity of IVIg remains unclear.