Idiopathic CD4 Lymphocytopenia

Plain-language summary

Definition: Idiopathic CD4+ T lymphocytopenia (ICL) is an immune deficiency first described in 1992 and characterized by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as absolute CD4+ T-lymphocyte count \< 300/mm3 or \< 20% of total T cells on more than one cell count; no evidence of infection with HIV-1/2 or human T-cell lymphotropic 1/2 (HTLV-1/2); and lack of a defined immune-deficiency disease or therapy for lymphocytopenia. Epidemiologic, clinical and immunological characteristics of the syndrome were described in 1993 and ICL is now considered a heterogeneous syndrome not caused by an infectious agent. Patients with ICL may show opportunistic infections such as disseminated Cryptococcus neoformans infection, Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia and John Cunningham (JC) virus infection as a result of profound cell-mediated immune-response deficiency. Few studies have focused on the pathophysiology of ICL. CD4+ T-lymphocyte phenotyping revealed increased CD95 expression that could be responsible for excess apoptosis leading to lymphocytopenia. Moreover, the membrane expression of C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) was found impaired in T lymphocytes with ICL, and CXCR4 trafficking was improved with interleukin 2 (IL-2) treatment in some patients. Recently, mutations in nunc119, MAGT1 and Rag were found associated with CD4+ T lymphocytopenia. In a prospective study of 39 patients, CD8+ T lymphocytopenia (\<180/mm3) and degree of CD4+ T-cell activation measured by human leukocyte antigen DR (HLA-DR) expression was found associated with poor prognosis. ICL is a heterogeneous disorder often associated with deficiencies in CD8+, CD19+, and/or NK cells. Long-term prognosis may be related to initial CD4+ and NK cell deficiency. Larger studies are needed to better identify the patients who might benefit from IL-2 therapy. This is why the investigators conduct the Lympho-4 study, in which the investigators plan to include 200 patients with a suspected/proven diagnosis of ICL.

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