Inborn errors of immunity

Childhood and adult diseases. A description of ambulatory clinical immunology patients over six years of tracking

Abstract

Introduction: inborn errors of immunity that present for the first time in adulthood are a recent topic of interest in internal medicine. First of all, this is a developing field within translational immunology, which internists should not overlook. Second, the number of adult patients with immunodeficiency symptoms seen by different medical services is increasing.

Design and method: in August 2015, a clinical immunology outpatient department was set up in the Hospital Universitario del Valle en Cali, Colombia. To describe the clinical experience with inborn errors of immunity in diagnosed adult patients, a cross-sectional study was conducted from 2015-2021.

Results: the ratio of males to females was 1.25:1, and all enrolled patients were over the age of 18. Antibody deficiency (40.7%) and common variable immunodeficiency were the most frequent categories and diagnoses, respectively. The patients’ mean age at onset of symptoms was 24 years, with an average diagnostic delay of eight years.

Conclusion: understanding inborn errors of immunity (IEIs) is challenging and visionary for internists, entailing exploring new clinical areas and delving into clinical immunology. However, it is essential for achieving a more modern internal medicine