A six year experience with recurrent infection and immunodeficiency in children in Kuwait.

Sixty-five Arab children in Kuwait with recurrent infections were subjected to laboratory investigations to determine their immune function. Twenty (31%) of these children were found to have a primary immunodeficiency syndrome, 36 patients (55%) had laboratory abnormalities but could not be classified, three patients (5%) had other well defined diseases responsible for their laboratory defect, and six patients (9%) had normal laboratory values. The most common infection site was the upper respiratory tract or chest, and the most frequent organisms isolated were Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella sp. in patients in whom detailed information was available, 70% had a family history of similar disease and 68% had consanguinous parents. These children represent only a fraction of those that should be investigated and it is recommended that a referral center for the investigation of children with recurrent infection be established.