Congenital and Acquired Immunodeficiencies

Abstract

The development of the immune system and its function are outlined in Chapter 1. Congenital immune deficiencies are rare; details can be found in pediatric textbooks. Here, only the most important entities are discussed. Acquired immune deficiencies are observed in many lymphoproliferative disorders and during the treatment with steroids or chemotherapy with cytostatic drugs. The deficiency of cellular immunity induced by HIV infection is a common problem in many countries. In this chapter, we describe only some hematologic consequences of HIV infection.