"He's a Kid" is not a Diagnosis, Could it be Primary Immunodeficiency?

NEW YORK, Dec. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Does your pediatrician or family practitioner tell you that your son or daughter "is a kid and all kids get sick"?  It may not be a complete medical diagnosis.  The underlying condition could be a Primary Immunodeficiency (PI), a disorder in which children and adults suffer with unexplained chronic and recurring infections.   When left undiagnosed the immune system remains compromised, leading to a lifetime of chronic disease, permanent organ damage, or even death.

50,000 letters with the 10 Warning Signs and a message for physicians about PI went out this week in an effort to raise awareness nationwide.

PI is not rare.  The U.S. National Institutes of Health report that as much as 1-2 percent of the U.S. population is affected. That's 3-6 million Americans, and about 98-99 percent do not even know that they have it.  The condition is more prevalent than childhood Leukemia and Lymphoma combined and four times the incidence of Cystic Fibrosis.