Immunodeficiency Disorders
Start with the big picture
Immunodeficiency may involve B cells, T cells, both lymphocyte groups, phagocytes, or complement. These categories are associated with different patterns, such as encapsulated bacterial infections in B-cell defects, viral or fungal infections in T-cell defects, and Neisseria infections in terminal complement deficiencies. The topic surveys representative disorders—including agammaglobulinemia, DiGeorge syndrome, SCID, chronic granulomatous disease, and hereditary angioedema—alongside screening approaches such as immunoglobulin measurements, lymphocyte-subset flow cytometry, oxidative-burst testing, and CH50. It also introduces secondary causes, clinical warning signs, potential complications, and broad management principles. Together, these concepts provide a framework for connecting immune defects with clinical presentation and diagnostic evaluation.
What you'll learn
- Distinguish primary immunodeficiency from secondary immunodeficiency.
- Classify primary disorders by the immune compartment affected.
- Relate major immune defects to characteristic infection patterns.
- Identify screening tests used to evaluate different immune compartments.
- Recognize broad management principles and warning signs.
Continue your study
Work through the complete notes and reinforce the topic with the study tools available in the full lesson.
