title: Immunodeficiency in children with severe craniofacial anomalies.
abstract: In immunologic studies of 20 children with severe facial birth defects, all were evaluated for quantity of T and B cells, immunoglobulins, and the third component of complement. Only 18 patients could be evaluated for blastogenesis and 16 for chemotaxis. Forty percent of the children had a decreased quantity of B cells. Eighty-three percent had a decrease in pokeweed-stimulated blastogenesis, and 75% showed decreased levels of one or more immunoglobulins. T cells were decreased in 60% of the patients, while 33% and 28% had decreased phytohemagglutinin-stimulated and concanavallin-A-stimulated blastogenesis, respectively. Chemotaxis was diminished in the polymorphonuclear leukocytes of 56% and the mononuclear leukocytes of 75% of the patients evaluated. The association of immune abnormalities and facial birth defects may be more common than in presently recognized.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005145:Face / Q000002:abnormalities*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000276:immunology; D007153:Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009000:Monocytes / Q000276:immunology; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology; D012886:Skull / Q000002:abnormalities*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D007136:Immunoglobulins