Abstract
Background
Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is defined by hypogammaglobulinemia and increased susceptibility to infections. The gene defect responsible for CVID remains unknown.
Methods
During the course of their CVID disease, a female and three male patients developed microcytic anemia. The investigation of this anemia forms the basis for this report.
Results
Reticulocyte globin chain synthesis studies revealed the abnormal α/β ratios that are pathognomonic of thalassemia. Through transcriptional analysis of the glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase (G6PD) locus of the active X-chromosome in blood cells, we determined that the female patient has clonal reticulocytes, platelets, granulocytes, and B and T lymphocytes.
Conclusions
The simultaneous presence of globin synthesis abnormalities and panhypogammaglobulinemia suggests that a common insult at the stem cell level could contribute to the development of CVID and acquired thalassemia.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported, in part, by a VAH Merit grant (J.T.P.) and United States Public Health Service Grants IRO1 HL51650 and HL50077 (J.T.P.), AR03555 (H.W.S.), AI30879, and AI34568, AR20614 (H.W.S.), AI07051 (S.B.), and AI33621 (H.W.S.). The work was conducted through the General Clinical Research Center of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, supported by USPHS grant MOI RR00032.
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Belickova, M., Schroeder, H.W., Guan, Y.L. et al. Clonal Hematopoiesis and Acquired Thalassemia in Common Variable Immunodeficiency. Mol Med 1, 56–61 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03403531
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03403531