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Query: UMLS:C0027947 (neutropenia)
 17,527 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVI) is a primary immunodeficiency characterized by deficient antibody production. The cause of this immunodeficiency is unknown; several in vitro studies have revealed a significant number of alterations that could explain the hypogammaglobulinemia present in this syndrome. Among those described are primary B cell alterations, numerical and functional T cell abnormalities, and defects in the interaction between accessory cells. The alteration typical of CVI is the failure of B lymphocytes to differentiate from antibody-producing cells, resulting in deficient immunoglobulin secretion. Among the T cell abnormalities described are a diminished proliferative response to mitogens and antigens, alterations in the level of production of several cytokines, especially reduction in the production of IL-2, diminished antigen-specific T cells and increase basal apoptosis after stimulation. Antigen presenting cells, monocytes and dendritic cells can also present alterations and contribute to deficient antigen response. The clinical manifestations of these patients is variable; most present recurrent bacterial infections due to encapsulated bacteria, especially sinusitis, otitis, bronchitis, and pneumonias. A few patients can present mycobacterial or fungal infection and occasionally Pneumocystis carinii. Viral infection is uncommon in these patients although some suffer recurrent herpes zoster infection. Clinical features of septicemia and central nervous system infections are less frequent. The incidence of digestive tract infections in these patients is high. The most common cause of diarrhea is Giardia lamblia; Salmonella, Shigella and Campylobacter are also common pathogens. Autoimmune disease is also more prevalent in these patients than in the general population. The most frequently associated diseases are hemolytic anemia, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and autoimmune neutropenia. Cancer is also frequently associated with CVI, the most common forms being lymphoproliferative syndromes, especially non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Granulomas are a unusual manifestation in some patients with CVI; their localization varies but the most commonly affected organs are the spleen and lungs. Some authors have compared these granulomas with those characterizing sarcoidosis, especially when appearing in the lung. Diagnosis of CVI is usually by exclusion of other diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, immotile cilia syndrome or allergic processes. CVI should be suspected in all patients with recurrent bacterial infections especially those localized in the respiratory tract. Other primary immunodeficiencies which present clinical findings similar to CVI and which should be ruled out are selective IgG subclass deficiency, IgA deficiency and selective deficiency in the response to polysaccharide antigens with normal immunoglobulin levels. The serum hypogammaglobulinemia present in all patients with CVI provides the diagnostic key. The age at which clinical manifestations appear, the absence of familial antecedents and the presence of circulating B lymphocytes form the basis of the differential diagnosis between X-linked agammaglobulinemia and autosomal recessive forms. The treatment of choice of patients with CVI is treatment with human gamma-globulin. Currently, the most common route of administration is intravenous; these molecules have a half-life of approximately 21 days and a high degree of safety concerning the possible transmission of viral infections. Adverse reactions are generally few and clinically unimportant. The most frequently used doses oscillate between 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight every 2-4 weeks. Both the dose and its frequency should be personalized for each patient. Early diagnosis of patients with CVI, application of treatment with appropriate antibiotics for infections and treatment with gamma-globulins prevent long-term complications of this disease and dramatically improve the quality of life and life expectancy of these patients.
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PMID:[Common variable immunodeficiency. Review]. 1143 84

A 74-year-old man with diabetes mellitus type II, retinopathy and polyneuropathy suffered from exophthalmus, ptosis and diplopia. Magnetic resonance imaging and computer tomography showed a space-occupying process in the right orbital apex. An extranasal ethmoidectomy accompanied by an orbitotomia revealed the presence of septated hyphae. Aspergillus fumigatus was grown from the tissue. After surgical removal of the fungal masses, therapy with amphotericin B (1 mg kg(-1) body weight) plus itraconazole (Sempera, 200 mg per day) over 6 weeks was initiated. Five months later the patient's condition deteriorated again, with vomiting, nausea and pain behind the right eye plus increasing exophthalmus. Antifungal therapy was started again with amphotericin B and 5-fluorocytosine. Neutropenia did not occur. The patient became somnolent and deteriorated, a meningitis was suggested. Aspergillus antigen (titre 1:2, Pastorex) was detected in liquor. Anti-Aspergillus antibodies were not detectable. Both the right eye and retrobulbar fungal masses were eradicated by means of an exenteratio bulbi et orbitae. However, renal insufficiency and an apallic syndrome developed and the patient died. At autopsy, a mycotic aneurysm of the arteria carotis interna dextra was detected. The mycotic vasculitis of this aneurysm had caused a rupture of the blood vessel followed by a massive subarachnoidal haemorrhage. In addition, severe mycotic sphenoidal sinusitis and aspergillosis of the right orbit were seen, which had led to a bifrontal meningitis.
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PMID:Case report. Mycotic arteritis due to Aspergillus fumigatus in a diabetic with retrobulbar aspergillosis and mycotic meningitis. 1176 8

We report two cases with common variable immunodeficiency. Both of them had gammaglobulin concentration lower than 300 mg/dL and evolved differently. The first one had three pneumonic episodes that responded satisfactorily to antibiotics. Today, this patient presents only two or three sinusitis clinical schemes per year, and has a good response to treatment. The second one has a bad evolution and presents hematological problems like thrombocytopenia and neutropenia. She also suffers lymphoid nodular hyperplasia in the intestinal tract and atrophy in the intestinal. These cases illustrate the wide clinical, immunological and genetic variety of the syndrome.
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PMID:[Common variable immunodeficiency. Report of 2 cases]. 1250 63

Cancer patients treated with chemotherapy are susceptible to bacterial infections. When an adult patient presents with febrile neutropenia, standard diagnostic care includes physical examination, laboratory diagnostics, chest X-ray (CXR) and sinus radiography. However, the yield of routine radiography in the diagnostic evaluation of ambulatory adult febrile neutropenic patients with normal findings at their physical examination is questionable. Two CXRs and one sinus X-ray were obtained in 109 and 106 febrile neutropenic episodes after chemotherapy in ambulatory adult patients who had no clinical signs suggesting pulmonary infection or sinusitis. We found that in only two of 109 (1.8%; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.3-5.8%) febrile neutropenic episodes without clinical signs of new pulmonary disease, the CXR showed a consolidation suggesting pneumonia. In addition, in five of 88 (5.7%; 95% CI: 2.2-12.0%) febrile episodes in asymptomatic patients, sinus X-ray suggested sinusitis. In none of these seven episodes was a change of antibiotic therapy necessary. In the absence of clinical signs indicating pneumonia or sinusitis, the yield of CXR and sinus radiography in ambulatory adult cancer patients presenting with febrile neutropenia is minimal; CXR and sinus radiography should no longer be performed on a routine basis.
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PMID:Routine radiography does not have a role in the diagnostic evaluation of ambulatory adult febrile neutropenic cancer patients. 1460 35

Moraxella osloensis, a gram-negative bacterium that is saprophytic on skin and mucosa, rarely causes infections. Moreover, infections in patients with cancer have not been reported. We describe 10 cases of M. osloensis blood or catheter infections that occurred during anticancer chemotherapy with or without preexisting neutropenia. The organism was identified definitively by sequencing analysis of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. Fever (up to 39.7 degrees C) with substantial neutrophilia characterized these infections. The infections were monomicrobic for 3 patients and polymicrobic for 7 patients. Nine patients acquired the infection through central venous catheter colonization. The likely sources of the organism were sinusitis (3 cases), bronchitis (1 case), presumed subclinical mucositis from anticancer therapy (4 cases), and cutaneous graft-vs-host disease (2 cases). The infections resolved, without catheter removal, after antibiotic therapy with cell wall-active agents, to which all strains were shown to be susceptible. The M. osloensis strains exhibited significant morphologic variations on gram stain, and sheep blood agar was the preferred culture medium for 9 strains.
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PMID:Moraxella osloensis blood and catheter infections during anticancer chemotherapy: clinical and microbiologic studies of 10 cases. 1508 Mar 11

Inherited neutropenia is characterized by a decrease in the absolute number of circulating neutrophils and an increased susceptibility to infections. The current study was performed to determine the clinical and laboratory findings of Iranian patients with inherited neutropenias. Records of 26 patients (14 male, 12 female) with inherited neutropenia were reviewed in this study. The patients had been referred to Children's Medical Center, a referral center for immunodeficiency disorders in Iran, during a 22-year period (1981-2003). Primary immunodeficiency disorders of these patients were as follows: cyclic neutropenia (8 patients), Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (7 patients), Kostmann syndrome (6 patients), and Chediak-Higashi syndrome (5 patients). The mean absolute neutrophil count of patients was 398.2 +/- 259.3 cells/mm (range 74-1,152/mm) at the first visit. Twenty-one patients showed severe, four moderate, and one mild neutropenia. Sixteen of these patients had leukopenia, seven anemia, two thrombocytopenia, and one monocytosis. The most common presenting complaints in these patients were oral ulcer, otitis, pneumonia, diarrhea, cutaneous abscess, and oral candidiasis. The patients first manifested symptoms of infection suggesting neutropenia at a median age of 7.5 months (range 1 month to 10 years). During follow-up, respiratory infections developed in 24 cases, oral manifestations in 20 patients. The most common infections, in descending order of frequency, were otitis media, abscesses, pneumonia, oral ulcers, acute diarrhea, cutaneous infections, oral candidiasis, and periodontitis. Less frequent infections were sinusitis, cystitis, conjunctivitis, meningitis, and osteomyelitis. Nonspecific symptoms (hepatomegaly and splenomegaly) were also detected in 10 patients and 1 patient, respectively. Three patients died of recurrent infections. The infectious manifestations both at presentation and during follow-up in inherited neutropenia were similar. Although inherited neutropenias are rare, recurrent infections always deserves further evaluation for detecting such disorders.
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PMID:Congenital neutropenia and primary immunodeficiency disorders: a survey of 26 Iranian patients. 1601 23

The still present problem of choice of a treatment method in chronic sinusitis was introduced in this study. The heterogenous etiology of chronic sinusitis and its treatment consequences were presented. The main current options in the treatment of chronic sinusitis were shown. The functional endoscopic sinus surgery was emphasized as the most important. The different courses of antibiotic therapy: nebulization, oral and intravenous were introduced as a method of choice in exacerbation of chronic process. The intravenous antibiotics were analyzed in details and it was especially based on the bacterial biofilms theory according to the newest literature. The obtaining results were good enough. They were better in children than in adults and in patients with shorter history of sinusitis, however they were not free from complications. Thrombophlebitis, allergic reaction, neutropenia were indicated as most frequent complications that caused the break in the therapy. In the conclusion the intravenous antibiotic therapy was estimated as a useful procedure, but not highly recommended due to a possibility of complications.
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PMID:[Intravenous antibiotics for rhinosinusitis]. 1635 20

There are two main types of fungal infections in the oncology patient: primary cutaneous fungal infections and cutaneous manifestations of fungemia. The main risk factor for all types of fungal infections in the oncology patient is prolonged and severe neutropenia; this is especially true for disseminated fungal infections. Severe neutropenia occurs most often in leukemia and lymphoma patients exposed to high-dose chemotherapy. Fungal infections in cancer patients can be further divided into five groups: (i) superficial dermatophyte infections with little potential for dissemination; (ii) superficial candidiasis; (iii) opportunistic fungal skin infections with distinct potential for dissemination; (iv) fungal sinusitis with cutaneous extension; and (v) cutaneous manifestations of disseminated fungal infections. In the oncology population, dermatophyte infections (i) and superficial candidiasis (ii) have similar presentations to those seen in the immunocompetent host. Primary cutaneous mold infections (iii) are especially caused by Aspergillus, Fusarium, Mucor, and Rhizopus spp. These infections may invade deeper tissues and cause disseminated fungal infections in the neutropenic host. Primary cutaneous mold infections are treated with systemic antifungal therapy and sometimes with debridement. The role of debridement in the severely neutropenic patient is unclear. In some patients with an invasive fungal sinusitis (iv) there may be direct extension to the overlying skin, causing a fungal cellulitis of the face. Aspergillus, Rhizopus, and Mucor spp. are the most common causes. We also describe the cutaneous manifestations of disseminated fungal infections (v). These infections usually occur in the setting of prolonged neutropenia. The most common causes are Candida, Aspergillus, and Fusarium spp. Therapy is with systemic antifungal therapy. The relative efficacies of amphotericin B, fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, and caspofungin are discussed. Recovery from disseminated fungal infections is unlikely, however, unless the patient's neutropenia resolves.
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PMID:Cutaneous fungal infections in the oncology patient: recognition and management. 1648 41

X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) is a primary immunodeficiency caused by mutations in the gene for Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) that result in the deficient development of B lymphocytes and hypogammaglobulinemia. Because the disorder is uncommon, no single institution has had sufficient numbers of patients to develop a comprehensive clinical picture of the disorder. Accordingly, a national registry of United States residents with XLA was established in 1999 to provide an updated clinical view of the disorder in a large cohort of patients. A total of 201 patients were registered by 66 physicians. The estimated birth rate for the 10-year period of 1988-1997 was 1/379,000. Infection was the most common initial clinical presentation (85%), followed by a positive family history (41%) and neutropenia (11%). Although the average age of diagnosis was younger in patients with a positive family history (mean, 2.59 yr) than in patients with a negative family history (mean, 5.37 yr) (p < 0.001), only 34.5% of patients with a positive family history at the time of their birth were diagnosed before clinical symptoms developed-that is, based on family history alone. Seventy percent of patients had at least 1 episode of otitis, 62% at least 1 episode of pneumonia, 60% at least 1 episode of sinusitis, 23% at least 1 episode of chronic/recurrent diarrhea, 21% at least 1 episode of conjunctivitis, 18% at least 1 episode of pyoderma and/or cellulitis, 11% at least 1 episode of meningitis/encephalitis, 10% at least 1 episode of sepsis, 8% at least 1 episode of septic arthritis, 6% at least 1 episode of hepatitis, and 3% at least 1 episode of osteomyelitis. Fourteen of 201 (6.9%) patients were dead at the time they were entered in the Registry. However, in a prospective 4 /4-year follow-up of living patients, only 3/80 (3.75%) patients died. Causes of death included disseminated enterovirus infection (n = 6), pulmonary insufficiency (n = 5), adenovirus infection (n = 1), sepsis (n = 1), acquired immunodeficiency disease syndrome (AIDS) (n = 1), myocarditis (n = 1), hepatitis (n = 2), and stem cell transplantation (n = 1).
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PMID:X-linked agammaglobulinemia: report on a United States registry of 201 patients. 1686 44

Neutropenia is characterized by decrease in the absolute number of circulating neutrophils and an increase susceptibility to infections. The current study was performed in order to explain the clinical and laboratory findings of patients with antibody deficiency disorders associated neutropenia. The patients' records of 19 neutropenic cases out of 207 patients with antibody deficiencies, who had been referred to Children's Medical Center and enrolled in Iranian primary immunodeficiency registry, were reviewed. Nineteen cases (14 male and 5 female), with a mean age of 10.7+/-5.7 years, were associated with neutropenia (9.2%). The disorders with associated neutropenia were Hyper IgM syndromes (3 of 8), Common variable immunodeficiency (13 of 109), and X-linked agammaglobulinemia (3 of 45). The median age for the onset of disease and diagnosis age were 15 months (1-134) and 3.8 years (6 months-13 years), respectively. The most common infections during the course of illness were pneumonia (13 cases), diarrhea (12 cases), oral candidiasis (9 cases), otitis media (6 cases), sinusitis (6 cases), cutaneous infections (5 cases), and abscess (5 cases). Other less frequent infections were: conjunctivitis, oral ulcers, meningitis, and osteomyelitis. Three neutropenic patients died because of recurrent infections. Neutropenia may occur in any of the primary immunodeficiency disorders. Persistent or severe infections always pose a supposition, which deserves further evaluation for detecting an underlying immune deficiency syndrome and neutropenia, since a delay in diagnosis may result in a serious organ damage or even death of the patient.
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PMID:Neutropenia in patients with primary antibody deficiency disorders. 1730 96


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