What Is Scid?

SCID stands for Severe Combined Immunodeficiency. That means that Parker's immune system does not work correctly. Your immune system is composed of white blood cells which are composed of different types of cells. Two of those are called T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes. The T-lymphocytes are matured in the Thymus Gland and go around fighting different viruses. The B-lymphocytes are divided further into different cells called immunoglobulins.

SCID is actually a group of inherited disorders that cause severe abnormalities of the immune system. These disorders lead to reduced or malfunctioning T- and B-lymphocytes, the specialized white blood cells made in the bone marrow to fight infection. When the immune system doesn't function properly, it can be difficult or impossible for it to battle viruses, bacteria, and fungi that cause infections.

The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible symptoms of SCID. This symptom information has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of symptoms of SCID. Furthermore, symptoms of SCID may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of symptoms and whether they are indeed symptoms of SCID.

The treatment of SCID constitutes a medical emergency. The immediate concern is to bring any current infections under control, and to strengthen the baby's weakened condition with adequate nutrition. IVIG may help to bolster the immune responses. A lasting remedy, however, requires a more drastic approach. A bone marrow transplant from a matched donor or parent is arranged as quickly as possible. Children whose SCID is due to ADA deficiency have another alternative. Injections of PEG-ADA will protect them against recurrent infections, allow them to control ordinary childhood infections such as chicken pox, and make it feasible for them to lead nearly normal lives.

SCID is usually transmitted as an autosomal recessive trait, although it may be X-linked. In most cases, the genetic defect seems associated with failure of the stem cell to differentiate into T and B lymphocytes. Many molecular defects such as mutation of the kinase ZAP-70 can cause SCID. X-linked SCID is due to a mutation of a subunit of the interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, and IL-7 receptors. Less commonly, it results from an enzyme deficiency.

SCID, this immune system disorder is defined by a severe defect in the body's production of T-cells. Your T-cells, basically, may be thought of as the Marines of your whole defense system; T-cells do not just provide a defensive wall but they are the elite fighting units that actually attack unwanted intruders in your body. Now, you can just imagine what will happen if your body has only a few of these soldiers; it will be totally impossible for your body too.

Symptoms were discovered only by means of the clinical interview appear compelling regarding the inclusion of this method in the investigation of the long-term effects of trauma. Most particularly, the finding that of the 10 cluster C symptoms discovered, nine were elicited only by the psychodynamic clinical interview raises serious concern about whether symptoms characterized by avoidance and numbing of general responsiveness can be reliably detected by standardized interviewing technique.

This problem was earlier recognized by the PTSD Advisory Committee for DSM-IV, which noted the problem with standardized methodology in operationalizing criteria for the assessment of such symptoms of avoidance and numbing as denial, psychogenic amnesia, and the sense of a foreshortened future.