The Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic on Patients with Primary Immunodeficiency: A Cohort Study

Abstract

Both adaptive and innate immune responses are essential for an effective defense against the severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. We aimed to investigate the effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on patients with primary immunodeficiency (PID). This study was performed on patients who were diagnosed with PID by immunologist specialists and referred to Imam Reza Clinic of Asthma and Allergy, affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, (Shiraz, Iran) for regular check-ups. The patients were enrolled in this cohort study and followed for any sign of COVID-19 from March 2020 to May 2021. COVID-19 infection was confirmed using a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay of nasal and pharyngeal swabs. Among the 90 PID patients under study, nine patients (10%) were diagnosed positive for COVID-19 infection. Five out of these nine patients belonged to the combined immunodeficiency (CID) category, while four patients were categorized as having primary antibody deficiencies (PADs). Eight patients with COVID-19 were required to be admitted to the hospital, and three patients died after hospitalization due to COVID-19 infection. It seems that patients with CID are at a higher risk of mortality, due to COVID-19 infection, that other types of PID.

Keywords

• covid-19
• mortality
• primary immunodeficiency diseases