Primary antibody deficiency: The impact on the quality of life and mental health of affected children and their parents

Health-related quality of life in patients with inborn errors of immunity: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Inborn Errors of Immunity (IEI) significantly affect patients' health-related quality of life (HRQOL), presenting greater challenges than those faced by the healthy population and other chronic disease sufferers. Current research lacks comprehensive integration of this critical issue.

OBJECTIVE

This study explores HRQOL in IEI patients, identifies impacting factors, and advocates for increased research focus on their quality of life.

METHODS

Following systematic review and meta-analysis guidelines, a search of Scopus and PubMed until November 15, 2023, yielded 1633 publications. We evaluated the literature, assessed study quality, and compared the HRQOL of IEI patients to that of healthy individuals and other chronic disease patients.

RESULTS

Of 90 articles and 10,971 IEI patients analyzed, study quality varied (nine good, 63 moderate, and 18 poor). The Short Form-36 (SF-36) and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory generic core scales (PedsQL) were the primary generic instruments used among adults and children, respectively, with 12 studies each using the disease-specific instruments. Meta-analysis showed IEI patients have significantly lower scores in general health, physical and mental health, and social and emotional roles compared to healthy populations. We noted significant differences between self and proxy reports, indicating caregiver anxiety and perception disparities.

CONCLUSION

Despite limitations like small sample sizes and reliance on generic instruments, this research underscores the substantially lower HRQOL among IEI patients, emphasizing the need for a patient-centered, multidisciplinary approach to improve their life quality and calling for more focused attention on IEI patients and their caregivers' HRQOL.

The Experiences of Children with Primary Immunodeficiency Who Receive Immunoglobulin Subcutaneously Instead of Intravenously

BACKGROUND

Children with primary immunodeficiency disorder have begun receiving subcutaneous immunoglobulin (SCIg) instead of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg). So, we aim to explore the experiences of primary immunodeficiency children with regard to receiving SCIg instead of IVIg.

METHOD

We adopted a phenomenological approach in 2022 in Turkey using semi-structured interviews. We recruited 15 participants using the purposive sampling method.

RESULTS

The main theme was the sweetness and bitterness of living with SCIg. The first subtheme was sweetness (sense of freedom, having a normal life, saving time, ease of use, and feeling better). The second subtheme was bitterness (worries about taking responsibility for injection, impaired body image due to abdominal edema, and minimal tolerable complications).

DISCUSSION

The results show these children had more sweet experiences than bitter ones. Being flexible in choosing a method, teaching patients to apply it correctly, and providing enough time to cope are as reasons for this.

Evaluation of Psychiatric Symptomatology, Quality of Life, and Caregiver Burden in Mothers and Children with Primary Immunodeficiency

BACKGROUND

The present study aimed to evaluate the quality of life, depression, and anxiety scores of children with primary immunodeficiency (PID) and depression, anxiety scores, and the caregiving burden of their mothers.

METHODS

A total of 149 children aged 2-18 years and their mothers were included in the present study, along with 125 healthy children and their mothers as a control group. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), Child Depression Inventory (CDI), and Screening for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) questionnaire were used based on the views of children and their mothers. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, San Diego Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A), and Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale (ZCB) were used for the mothers.

RESULTS

According to children and their mothers, the scores of the PedsQL were lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05). In addition, according to the views of children and mothers, we found that PID children had higher depression and anxiety scores than healthy children (P < 0.05). The depression and anxiety levels of mothers in the patient group were also significantly higher than those in the control group (P = 0.05 and P = 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Statistically, we found significantly lower psychosocial health summary scores and total scale score levels from the subclass of PedsQL in the patient group than in the control group. According to the views of both children and mothers, we observed that PID children had higher depression and anxiety scores than healthy children. It was also found that the BDI and BAI values in case of mothers in the patient group were significantly higher than those in the control group.

Patient-reported outcomes in patients with primary immunodeficiency diseases in Japan: baseline results from a prospective observational study

Introduction

Primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs) are rare inherited diseases resulting in impaired immunity. People with PID experience lower health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) and disease-related burdens in daily activities. This ongoing, prospective observational study aims to evaluate disease activity, treatment status, treatment-related burden, daily activities, and HR-QOL in patients with PID in Japan over a 1-year period. In this interim report (database lock: July 29, 2022), we present baseline results.

Methods

Participants were enrolled between November 2021 and May 2022; data were collected four times/year per participant until May 2023 using an online electronic patient-reported outcomes system. Patients with PID and healthy volunteers aged ≥12 years, residing in Japan, and with access to a smartphone were eligible. HR-QOL (primary endpoint) was assessed by the EuroQol-5 Dimensions-5 Levels (EQ-5D-5L) and the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Work productivity was assessed by the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI) Questionnaire. Other aspects of PID and burden were assessed with a new questionnaire developed in-house. The study is registered at the University hospital Medical Information Network clinical trials registry (UMIN000045622).

Results

The full interim analysis set comprised 71 patients with PID and 47 healthy volunteers. The most common International Union of Immunological Societies PID category was primary antibody deficiency (56.3% of patients). Complications were common, especially recurrent respiratory tract infections (63.4%). Most patients with PID were treated with immunoglobulin replacement therapy (73.2%); 22.4% of these patients had serum immunoglobulin levels <700 mg/dL. Among patients who did not undergo hematopoietic cell transplantation, EQ-5D-5L (n=67) and SF-36 (n=59) Physical and Mental Component Summary scores were significantly lower than in healthy volunteers (p < 0.001). WPAI absenteeism, work productivity loss, and activity impairment scores were significantly lower in 42 working patients with PID than in 37 working healthy volunteers (p < 0.05). Other results indicated that patients with PID experience substantial burdens related to medical visits, expenses, work, and daily activities.

Discussion

This interim analysis confirms that patients with PID in Japan have lower HR-QOL and work productivity compared with healthy individuals and experience substantial limitations and burdens in their daily lives.

Which triggers could support timely identification of primary antibody deficiency? A qualitative study using the patient perspective

Background

Patients with predominantly (primary) antibody deficiencies (PADs) commonly develop recurrent respiratory infections which can lead to bronchiectasis, long-term morbidity and increased mortality. Recognizing symptoms and making a diagnosis is vital to enable timely treatment. Studies on disease presentation have mainly been conducted using medical files rather than direct contact with PAD patients. Our study aims to analyze how patients appraised their symptoms and which factors were involved in a decision to seek medical care.

Methods

14 PAD-patients (11 women; median 44, range 16-68 years) were analyzed using semi-structured interviews until saturation of key emergent themes was achieved.

Results

Being always ill featured in all participant stories. Often from childhood onwards periods of illness were felt to be too numerous, too bad, too long-lasting, or antibiotics were always needed to get better. Recurrent or persistent respiratory infections were the main triggers for patients to seek care. All participants developed an extreme fatigue, described as a feeling of physical and mental exhaustion and thus an extreme burden on daily life that was not solved by taking rest. Despite this, participants tended to normalize their symptoms and carry on with usual activities. Non-immunologists, as well as patients, misattributed the presenting signs and symptoms to common, self-limiting illnesses or other ‘innocent’ explanations. Participants in a way understood the long diagnostic delay. They know that the disease is rare and that doctors have to cover a broad medical area. But they were more critical about the way the doctors communicate with them. They feel that doctors often don’t listen very well to their patients. The participants’ symptoms as well as the interpretation of these symptoms by their social environment and doctors had a major emotional impact on the participants and a negative influence on their future perspectives.

Conclusions

To timely identify PAD, ‘pattern recognition’ should not only focus on the medical ‘red flags’, but also on less differentiating symptoms, such as ‘being always ill’ and ‘worn out’ and the way patients cope with these problems. And, most important, making time to really listen to the patient remains the key.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13023-021-01918-x.