The goals of medical treatment and supportive care are to reduce the frequency of infections, prevent complications and prevent an acute infection from becoming chronic and potentially causing irreversible organ damage. For example, antibody deficient individuals who receive immunoglobulin (Ig) therapy may need to have their dose adjusted if they are experiencing frequent “breakthrough” infections. Your immunologist needs to know about the infections that you are having, as this knowledge may affect your treatment. The provider may then want to confer with your immunologist about the management and treatment of a particular infection. Your primary care provider should be the first point of contact when you are ill. For example, the person with a primary immunodeficiency may require a longer course or higher dose of antibiotics than someone who does not have a primary immunodeficiency. But an infection in a person with a primary immunodeficiency may require different treatment than a similar infection in a person with a normal immune system.
Infections in the Patient with Primary ImmunodeficiencyĪnyone can get an infection, and everyone does.
