The Turkish Journal of Pediatrics
2010 , Vol 52 , Num 4
Primary immune deficiency disease awareness among a group of Turkish physicians
Departments of 1Pediatric Immunology and Allergy and 2Statistics, Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara,
3Dr. Sami Ulus Children’s Hospital, Ankara, and 4Department of Pediatric Immunology, Selçuk University Meram
Faculty of Medicine, Konya, Turkey
Primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs) are a relatively common occurrence
in countries where consanguineous marriages are widespread. A principal
factor leading to misdiagnosis and ensuing complications can be the lack
of knowledge and proper evaluation. The aim of this study was to assess
PID awareness and the identification of diagnostic criteria leading to correct
diagnosis. Seven hundred eighty-six questionnaires with 71 items were
distributed to physicians attending the 41st National Congress of Pediatrics
(2005) and to pediatric residents of two university hospitals from different
cities in Turkey. The 217 completed questionnaires revealed that family
history (91.2%), consanguineous marriages (87.1%), infant deaths (70.0%),
persistent thrush (90.3%), hospitalization for recurrent cellulitis (70.5%),
chronic diarrhea due to giardiasis (62.2%), recurrent oral aphthous lesions
(58.5%), telangiectasia (82.0%), failure to thrive (78.8%), absence of tonsil
tissue (74.7%), oculocutaneous albinism (73.7%), and resistant sinusitis
(71.0%) were cited among important indicators of PID. However, neonatal
tetany (77.9%), liver abscess (61.3%) and poliomyelitis following oral polio
vaccination (51.2%) were not considered as related to PID. Although white
blood cell (WBC) and differential were chosen as the preferred initial tests,
leukocytosis and lymphopenia were also not judged as related to PID. More
comprehensive pre/postgraduate education in PID appears to be necessary
for physicians in Turkey.
Keywords :
primary immunodeficiency, awareness, questionnaire.