Primary Immunodeficiency Clinic

The Primary Immunodeficiency Clinic identifies patients — often children, but also adults — whose immune system doesn't produce enough antibodies or immune cells to fight infections normally, leading to infections that keep coming back or don't fully clear with standard treatment. This is different from a temporarily weak immune system caused by illness or medication; primary immunodeficiencies are usually genetic and lifelong.

Diagnosis involves blood tests measuring immunoglobulin levels, how well the immune system responds to vaccines, and detailed counts of different white blood cell types. Many patients go undiagnosed for years, cycling through repeated antibiotic courses before the underlying immune defect is identified.

Warning signs worth a referral include four or more ear infections a year, two or more sinus infections a year, pneumonia twice in a year, infections needing IV antibiotics, or a family history of early infection-related deaths — early diagnosis allows treatments like immunoglobulin replacement therapy that significantly reduce infection frequency and severity.