Evaluation of suspected immunodeficiency

This chapter highlights the evaluation of suspected immunodeficiency. The need to evaluate immunologic function has become a part of the standard practice of clinical medicine, resulting at least in part from the secondary immunodeficiency produced by HIV infection. Clinical suspicion of a defect in immune function is primarily generated by the medical history, and any patient with a history of increased susceptibility to infection should be evaluated for secondary forms of immunodeficiency due to other comorbidities or HIV infection. The family history has also proved important with the increasing number of immune deficiencies that have been characterized at the molecular level, each one with its particular inheritance pattern. The physical examination can provide clues in the case of specific primary immunodeficiencies. This may also provide clues to the evaluation of secondary immune disorders.