May 5, 2024

New Details on Rare Immune Disease Uncovered by NIH Researchers in 11-Year Study

Scanning electron micrograph of a human T cell from the body immune system of a healthy donor. In an 11-year study by the National Institutes of Health, scientists even more identified idiopathic CD4 lymphocytopenia (ICL), an uncommon immune deficiency that increases vulnerability to contagious illness, autoimmune diseases, and cancers. Credit: NIAID
NIH scientists reveal brand-new details on uncommon immune illness.
NIH researchers define ICL, an uncommon immune deficiency, linking severe cases to greater risk of infections and cancers.
In an 11-year research study, scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have actually further characterized idiopathic CD4 lymphocytopenia (ICL), a rare immune deficiency that leaves individuals susceptible to contagious illness, autoimmune diseases, and cancers. Researchers observed that people with the most extreme cases of ICL had the highest threat of obtaining or developing several of the illness related to this immune shortage. This research study, released on May 4 in the New England Journal of Medicine, was led by Irini Sereti M.D., M.H.S. and Andrea Lisco, M.D., Ph.D. of the HIV Pathogenesis Section in the Laboratory of Immunoregulation at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious diseases (NIAID), part of NIH, and performed at the NIH Clinical.
ICL is a condition marked by too couple of CD4+ T-cells, which are a kind of leukocyte. The scientific meaning of ICL is a CD4+ T-cell count of less than 300 cells per cubic millimeter (mm ³ )of blood for a minimum of six weeks, in the absence of any disease or treatment related to minimized white blood cells. Unlike HIV, an infection that reduces the body immune system if left neglected, there is no evidence that ICL is transferred from individual to person, and it has no known cause. There are limited restorative options for ICL.

The most common opportunistic infections were human papillomavirus-related diseases (in 29% of individuals), cryptococcosis (24%), molluscum contagiosum (9%), and mycobacterial diseases other than tuberculosis (5%). Cancer danger was also higher in people with the least expensive CD4+ T-cell counts, but the threat of autoimmune illness was lower.
These findings further support the inverted correlation between CD4+ T-cell count and susceptibility to viral, fungal, and mycobacterial infections, as well as certain cancers, according to the authors. NIAID continues to pursue research on the natural history of rare conditions such as ICL to comprehend illness development, along with possible healing interventions.
” Reappraisal of Idiopathic CD4 Lymphocytopenia at 30 Years” by Andrea Lisco, M.D., Ph.D., Ana M. Ortega-Villa, Ph.D., Harry Mystakelis, M.D., M.H.S., Megan V. Anderson, R.N., B.A., Allyson Mateja, M.S.P.H., Elizabeth Laidlaw, P.A.-C., Maura Manion, M.D., Gregg Roby, R.N., B.S., Jeanette Higgins, Ph.D., Safia Kuriakose, Pharm.D., Magdalena A. Walkiewicz, Ph.D., Morgan Similuk, Sc.M., Jennifer W. Leiding, M.D., Alexandra F. Freeman, M.D., Virginia Sheikh, M.D. and Irini Sereti, M.D., M.H.S., 4 May 2023. New England Journal of Medicine.DOI: 10.1056/ NEJMoa2202348.
Andrea Lisco, M.D., Ph.D. is an assistant clinical private investigator in the HIV Pathogenesis Section of NIAIDs Laboratory of Immunoregulation, and Irini Sereti, M.D., M.H.S. is chief of the HIV Pathogenesis area..

In an 11-year study by the National Institutes of Health, scientists even more identified idiopathic CD4 lymphocytopenia (ICL), a rare immune deficiency that increases vulnerability to infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and cancers. In an 11-year study, researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have actually even more characterized idiopathic CD4 lymphocytopenia (ICL), a rare immune deficiency that leaves people susceptible to infectious illness, autoimmune illness, and cancers. Scientist observed that individuals with the most severe cases of ICL had the greatest risk of obtaining or establishing numerous of the diseases associated with this immune shortage. The most prevalent opportunistic infections were human papillomavirus-related illness (in 29% of participants), cryptococcosis (24%), molluscum contagiosum (9%), and mycobacterial illness other than tuberculosis (5%).