Common variable immunodeficiency: computed tomography evaluation of bronchopulmonary changes including nodular lesions in 40 patients. Correlation with clinical and immunological data.
BACKGROUND
Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is the most common symptomatic primary immunodeficiency characterized by recurrent respiratory tract infections, mainly sustained by encapsulated bacteria, that may cause irreversible changes in the lungs.


METHODS
Forty patients with CVID were evaluated by computed tomography of the lung; 20 of these underwent computed tomographic follow-up in a 5-year period, during which immunoglobulin replacement therapy was regularly performed.


RESULTS
Pulmonary changes were present in 65% of patients; bronchiectases were present in 65.38%. The incidence of pulmonary nodules was very high (38.46%) and correlated with splenomegaly (70%) and autoimmune phenomena (80%).


CONCLUSIONS
Our study underscores the essential role of imaging, in particular computed tomography, in the identification and monitoring of pulmonary lesions in a large cohort of CVID patients, contributing at the same time to select patients more at risk to develop nodular lesions and potentially to use more appropriate therapeutic strategies.
Bondioni
Maria Pia
MP
Department of Radiology, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy. bondioni.pia@tin.it
Soresina
Annarosa
A
Lougaris
Vassilios
V
Gatta
Diego
D
Plebani
Alessandro
A
Maroldi
Roberto
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001987:Bronchiectasis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D001995:Bronchography; D002648:Child; D017074:Common Variable Immunodeficiency / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D055613:Multiple Pulmonary Nodules / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed