A Prospective Study of Influenza Vaccination and a Comparison of Immunologic Parameters in Children and Adults with Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (DiGeorge Syndrome/Velocardiofacial Syndrome)

Prior to the advent of cardiac bypass, most children with congenital cardiac anomalies and chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome died. With improved technology, there is now a wave of young adults with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome requiring clinical care. Fifteen young children and 20 adults with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion had flow cytometry, functional T cell analyses, and functional B cell analyses to characterize their immune system. Subjects were vaccinated with the annual inactivated influenza vaccine, and responses were evaluated by hemagglutination inhibition titer assessment. The pattern of T cell subset abnormalities was markedly different between pediatric and adult patients. In spite of the cellular deficits observed in adults, titers produced after influenza vaccine administration were largely intact. We conclude that disruption to T cell production appears to have secondary consequences for T cell differentiation and B cell function although the clinical impact remains to be determined.