Immunopathology & Immunotherapy

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is the most frequent of the large group of primary (inborn) immunodeficiencies. As the name indicates, the disease is highly variable. While the underlying defect is a lack of antibodies in the blood, patients develop a wide range of symptoms, from respiratory infections to autoimmune disorders and neoplasms, and treating such patients poses many challenges. Notably, the replacement of antibodies (known as immunoglobulin (Ig) replacement) alone does not seem to solve all symptoms; studies in the past have tried to group patients into different phenotypes, also to help identify suitable treatment, but our understanding of the disease remains limited.