What are Inborn Errors of Immunity (IEI)?

IEIs are inherited disorders of the immune system that can cause frequent infections, autoimmune conditions, inflammation, or certain cancers. They can affect both children and adults.

Who should see an Immunologist?

You should consult an immunologist if you or your child have recurrent infections or hospitalizations, poor growth or developmental delays, chronic ear discharge, pneumonia, or bronchiectasis, autoimmune conditions at an early age, or a family history of immune disorders, autoimmune disease, or cancer.

How are IEIs diagnosed?

Diagnosis involves detailed medical evaluation, specialized blood tests, genetic testing, and advanced techniques like flow cytometry for immune profiling.

What types of IEIs are treated here?

We manage severe and combined immune deficiencies, autoimmune or immune dysregulation disorders, lymphoproliferation disorders, phagocytic defects (e.g., Chronic Granulomatous Disease), susceptibility to infections like TB, herpes, or chronic fungal infections, autoinflammatory diseases, and recurrent or family history of cancers.

What services does the Immunology OPD provide?

Our OPD offers diagnosis and treatment of IEIs, state-of-the-art diagnostic facilities, guidance for primary care providers for early recognition, and monitoring and management of cytokine storms and immune complications.

Can adults be affected by IEI?

Yes. Some IEIs present in adulthood, often as autoimmune disorders, recurrent infections, or bronchiectasis.

How can early consultation help?

Early evaluation can prevent complications, enable targeted treatment, and help identify at-risk family members for proper care and genetic counseling.

How can I book an appointment?

You can directly schedule a visit at our Immunology OPD. Referrals from pediatricians or physicians are also welcome.

Inborn Errors of Immunity (IEI) – Immunology Department

Overview

About the Immunology OPD

An Immunologist is a specialist trained to diagnose these presumed rare diseases through specialized investigations and genetic tests to identify the underlying cause. Treatment is planned based on the pathophysiology driving the disease process.

The Immunology OPD is the first of its kind in Coimbatore and nearby towns, serving as a referral and diagnostic centre for immune-related disorders.

Diagnosis & Management

We Specialize in the Diagnosis and Management of:

Severe Combined Immune Deficiency and Combined Immune Deficiency

Disorders of Immune-dysregulation or Autoimmunity

Benign and malignant lymphoproliferation with EBV signature

Phagocytic defects, including Severe Congenital Neutropenia, Chronic Granulomatous Disease, and Leucocyte Adhesion Deficiency

Mendelian Susceptibility to Mycobacterial Disease and susceptibility to specific infections such as vaccine-associated Measles, Herpes simplex encephalitis, and Chronic Mucocutaneous Candidiasis

Autoinflammatory diseases

Recurrent malignancy or family history of malignancy

Clinical Features

Leading Signs Needing Immunological Evaluation

In simple terms this table elicits very basic clinical feature that needs immunological evaluation of a patient.

Leading signs in Children	Leading signs in Adults
Cytopenias	Bronchiectasis
>2 systemic infections	Cytopenias
Recurrent fever	Autoimmune diseases
Bronchiectasis	>3 Pneumonias

Mission

Our Mission

Our mission is to identify and treat the so-called "rare diseases", as the term itself is a misnomer.

Many of these diseases go unrecognized, unreported, and undiagnosed due to a lack of awareness among primary care providers.

Scope

Scope of Immunology Services

Establishing facilities for the diagnosis and management of IEIs

Raising awareness to reduce delays in referral and diagnosis

Educating clinicians, pediatricians, and physicians through simple diagnostic algorithms for early recognition of suspected IEIs

Establishing state-of-the-art flow cytometry-based diagnostic facilities for IEIs, allowing samples from Coimbatore and across Tamil Nadu to be processed locally—reducing dependence on external labs and improving turnaround time (TAT)

Using small molecules in managing cytokinemia and cytokine storm, as seen in HLH, MAS, and Interferonopathies

This will involve multiplex analysis systems for cytokine profiling by flow cytometry, also useful in post-HSCT monitoring.

For the General Public

Seeking Immunology Consultation

Consult an immunologist if you or your child has:

Loss of a child due to infection or disease of unknown cause

Poor weight gain or developmental delay

Recurrent infections requiring hospital admission (≥3 times a year)

Recurrent sino-pulmonary infections, pneumonia, or bronchiectasis

Chronic ear discharge

Perianal abscess with fistula formation in a child

Recurrent meningitis

Life-threatening influenza

Early-onset chronic diarrhoea or inflammatory bowel disease with other autoimmune features

Difficult-to-treat tuberculosis or fungal infections

Persistent skin or nail fungal infections (dermatophytosis)

Recurrent varicella (chickenpox) or viral warts

Recurrent or severe molluscum contagiosum

Recurrent or significant neck swellings (local or generalized lymphadenopathy)

Early-onset Type 1 diabetes, hypothyroidism, SLE, inflammatory bowel disease, or interstitial lung disease (as part of autoimmunity)

Family history of autoimmune diseases

Recurrent oral ulcers, skin rash, arthritis, non-healing ulcers, or unexplained fever

High IgE with atopic dermatitis associated with infections or autoimmunity

Pancytopenia (low counts of all blood cells) or repeated hemoglobin drops requiring steroids or blood transfusion

Family history or recurrence of cancer, or occurrence of cancer at an unusual age or site