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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Nutritional Immunology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1408985
This article is part of the Research Topic Nutritional Management of Patients with Inborn Errors of Metabolism View all 3 articles

Dietary Intakes and Nutritional Issues in Inborn Errors of Immunity: A Systematic Review

Provisionally accepted
Macey Freer Macey Freer 1Rani Bhatia Rani Bhatia 1,2Kahn Preece Kahn Preece 1,2Kirrilly M. Pursey Kirrilly M. Pursey 1,3,4*
  • 1 The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
  • 2 John Hunter Children's Hospital, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
  • 3 Hunter Medical Research Institute, The University of Newcastle, New Lambton, New South Wales, Australia
  • 4 Hunter New England Health, New Lambton, New South Wales, Australia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: Inborn errors of immunity (IEI) are characterized by an inherited dysregulation or absence of immune system components that can manifest clinically in complications that predispose an individual to feeding difficulties or impaired swallowing, digestion, and absorption. Treatment side-effects or altered requirements may further impair nutritional status. While adequate nutrition is necessary for optimal growth and immune function, little is known about nutritional intakes in IEI, and best practice nutrition guidelines are limited. This review aimed to synthesize current evidence on the dietary intakes, anthropometry and nutritional biochemistry in individuals with an IEI.A systematic review of literature published from database inception to March 2023 was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Articles eligible for inclusion reported anthropometric, biochemical, or dietary intake-related measures in pediatric or adult patients with a diagnosed IEI. Identified articles were screened for eligibility; data was synthesized descriptively.Results: A total of 4488 studies were retrieved of which 34 were included. Across studies, 2894 IEI individuals were included (age range 4 weeks to 83y), predominantly focusing on ataxia telangiectasia (AT) and common variable immunodeficiency (CVID). A significant association between inadequate energy intakes and IEI was identified (n=6 studies); however, there was significant variability in adequacy of macro-and micronutrients across studies. Patients with IEI were at risk of malnutrition (range 30% to 70%); although anthropometric assessment measures were not consistent across studies. Biochemical assessments found patients were also at risk of micronutrient deficiencies including vitamin D.Discussion: This review identified few studies assessing dietary intakes, anthropometry and nutritional biochemistry in patients with IEI, with considerable heterogeneity across studies. Future longitudinal studies using consistent validated dietary assessment tools and anthropometric measures in diverse IEI patient populations are needed. This review reinforces the need for dietetic input in people with an IEI and the development evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for people with an IEI.

    Keywords: Primary immunodeficiency, inborn errors of immunity, dietary intake, nutritional issues, Nutritional Status

    Received: 29 Mar 2024; Accepted: 09 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Freer, Bhatia, Preece and Pursey. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Kirrilly M. Pursey, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, 2308, New South Wales, Australia

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