Mischa Koenen (Netherlands)

UMC Utrecht Center of Translational Immunology
My name is Mischa Koenen and I am trained as a medical doctor at the University Utrecht in the Netherlands. Currently I am in the last year of my PhD in the field of pediatric infectious diseases and pediatric immunology at the UMC Utrecht in the Netherlands. My PhD is on the subject of mucosal immunology in young children with recurrent respiratory tract infections and supervised by: Dr. Marianne Boes, Prof. Debby Bogaert, Dr. Lilly Verhagen and Dr. Erhard van der Vries. In this translational PhD project I focus on a clinical cohort of young children suffering from recurrent respiratory tract infections. By examining their mucosal surfaces, including their secretory IgA and microbiome, I aim to unravel the role of the mucosal immune system in infection susceptibility in young children. During my medical training as well as in my PhD I have focused on the different immunological, infectious and public health aspects of pediatric infectious diseases. In the future I hope to continue working in the pediatric field as a clinician in training and eventually as a pediatrician.

Presenter of 1 Presentation

 Conference Calendar

PREMATURE BIRTH IS ASSOCIATED WITH PRIMARY ANTIBODY DEFICIENCY IN YOUNG CHILDREN WITH RECURRENT RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTIONS (ID 790)

Session Name
2205 - ORAL PRESENTATIONS 04: EPIDEMIOLOGY (ID 34)
Lecture Time
10:58 - 11:05
Room
Hall 01
Presenter

Abstract

Background

Recurrent respiratory tract infections (rRTI) affect around 10-15% of children aged 0-5 years. Some children with rRTI suffer from an underlying immunological defect, such as a primary antibody deficiency (PAD). We investigated the prevalence of and epidemiological risk factors associated with PAD in children with rRTI and linked this to disease severity.

Methods

Children <7 years of age with rRTI undergoing immunological screening in a secondary and tertiary hospital in The Netherlands were included in a prospective cohort study. In a subgroup of children, parent-reported RTI symptoms were monitored during the winter season with a daily diary mobile phone application. Patient characteristics associated with PAD were identified using multivariable logistic regression analysis with model selection.

Results

Between 2016 and 2019 we included 147 children with rRTI with a median age of 3.4 years (interquartile range 2.1-5.2 years). Although major immune deficiencies were rarely observed, a high percentage of children (55%) showed mild antibody deficiencies. Most prevalent were complete/partial IgA deficiency (23%), IgG4-subclass deficiency (12%) and combined IgA and total IgG deficiency (9%). Prematurity was significantly associated with PAD in multivariate analysis (see Table). In 80 children daily RTI symptoms were monitored during a winter season; the prevalence and duration of RTI symptoms did not differ significantly between children with and without PAD.

figure espid abstract 2021.png

Conclusions

The prevalence of PAD in a Dutch cohort of young children with rRTI was remarkably high compared to older pediatric cohorts. Prematurity was associated with PAD, underlining that immune maturation lies at the basis of mild PAD commonly found in the first years of life. Interestingly, RTI symptoms did not differ between children with and without PAD, which suggests that more factors than PAD alone contribute to disease severity.

Clinical Trial Registration

Not applicable

Hide