U.S. researchers uncover new details on rare immune disease

LOS ANGELES, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) have characterized idiopathic CD4 lymphocytopenia (ICL), a rare immune deficiency that leaves people vulnerable to infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases and cancers, the agency said on Thursday.

Researchers observed that people with the most severe cases of ICL had the highest risk of acquiring or developing several of the diseases associated with this immune deficiency.

ICL is a condition marked by too few CD4+ T-cells, which are a type of white blood cell, according to the NIH.

In this observational study, the NIH researchers quantified immune cells and noted the presence of opportunistic infections - infections that typically only affect people with suppressed immune systems - and other clinical conditions among 91 participant volunteers with ICL.

The most prevalent opportunistic infections were human papillomavirus-related diseases, cryptococcosis, molluscum contagiosum, and mycobacterial diseases other than tuberculosis, according to the study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.