A clinical case of manifestation of primary immunodeficiency diagnosed before as Burkitt’s lymphoma

Abstract

Lymphoma is a group of neoplastic diseases characterized by the clonal proliferation of lymphoid cells, manifested by the response of various stages of differentiation of normal B-lymphocytes, less often T-lymphocytes or natural killer cells. The etiology of most lymphomas is unknown. Some of the proven causal-consequence factors are: viral infections and immunodeficiency conditions.

Purpose - to draw the attention of non-immunologists to the peculiarities of detecting the primary immunodeficiency (PID) states and the problem of their late diagnosis based on the data of a clinical case.

Clinical case. A clinical observation of severe non-genetically differentiated PID is given. Screening signs of PID in the form of recurrent infectious respiratory tract syndrome and frequent long-term use of antibacterial drugs are highlighted, which should alert doctors to clinical and immunological markers of primary immunodeficiency. The presence of Burkitt's lymphoma in the boy also does not exclude the possibility of the manifestation of an immunodeficiency state, both secondary to the drug treatment of lymphoma, and primary, which can manifest itself in puberty. Common variable immunodeficiency is one of those PIDs that "starts" with Burkitt's lymphoma.

Conclusions. The problem of low detection of probable PID in children in Ukraine is urgent. Primary care physicians are the first to be able to partially solve this problem by examining the infectious history and laboratory screening tests. There is incomplete awareness of related medical specialties regarding the signs of PID in lymphoproliferative syndrome in children. This clinical case demonstrates signs of PID at an early age. Low detection is also associated with poor capacity and quality and/or lack of immunological laboratory testing, particularly in public facilities.

The research was carried out in accordance with the principles of the Helsinki Declaration. The informed consent of the of the child’s parents was obtained for the research

No conflict of interests was declared by the authors.