Abstract

ABSTRACTObjective To investigate the level of awareness of primary immunodeficiency diseases among physicians working at Instituto Nacional de Salud del Niño.Methods Cross-sectional study including pediatric residents and pediatricians working at the Instituto Nacional de Salud del Niño during the study period (2017-2019). Physicians working at the immunology unit and surgery departments were excluded. Three aspects of awareness of primary immunodeficiency diseases were investigated: education, general knowledge, and diagnostic suspicion and actions taken in the face of suspicion.Results This sample comprised 83 physicians with a median age of 33 years. Most physicians were women (71.1%) and half were pediatric residents. During their undergraduate studies, 43.1% had taken primary immunodeficiency disease courses, and 39.2% had attended conferences on this topic. During their residency training, 25.9% had taken primary immunodeficiency disease courses, and 60.3% had participated in conferences on this topic. Among pediatricians, 50% had taken primary immunodeficiency disease courses, and 53.1% had attended conferences on this topic. Only 39.8% of physicians reported being familiar with the list of 10 warning signs developed by the Jeffrey Modell Foundation. More than half of physicians considered the lack of access to laboratory tests the major challenge in making diagnosis of primary immunodeficiency diseases.Conclusion This study revealed limited awareness of primary immunodeficiency diseases among physicians working at Instituto Nacional de Salud del Niño. Although most physicians suspected primary immunodeficiency diseases in patients with a history of recurrent infections and frequent use of antibiotics, not all of them were familiar with the list of 10 warning signs proposed by the Jeffrey Modell Foundation, nor were they able to describe ancillary tests requested in suspected cases.

Highlights

  • Primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDD) are a heterogeneous group of disorders of the immune system

  • Knowledge and awareness have different meanings, the latter being mainly related to attitude and action.[6,9,10,11] In that sense, lack of awareness among physicians may explain the limited number of reported cases of PIDD, and the delayed diagnosis in Latin American countries, such as Peru.[4,12] This study aimed to investigate the level of awareness of PIDD among physicians working at a national pediatric reference center in Peru

  • To investigate the level of awareness of primary immunodeficiency diseases among physicians working at Instituto Nacional de Salud del Niño

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Summary

Introduction

Primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDD) are a heterogeneous group of disorders of the immune system. The most common presentations include severe recurrent infections, neoplasms, atopy and autoimmune conditions, with high mortality, especially in patients with severe combined immunodeficiency.[1,2] Approximately 6 million people worldwide suffer from PIDD.[3] the number of reported cases is lower. In August 2020, the Latin American Society for Immunodeficiencies (LASID) registered 8,383 cases of PIDD. In 2015, the Jeffrey Modell Foundation recognized the UFAAI and two other immunology centers as Jeffrey Modell Foundation Diagnostic and Research Centers, a crucial step in establishing international collaborations for the benefit of Peruvian PIDD patients. The number of registered cases in Latin America has been on the rise year after year due to improved diagnostic techniques and enhanced awareness.[5,6] many challenges must still be overcome in order to guarantee coverage for a higher number of PIDD patients.[7,8]

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