For children with SCID, the first concern is to prevent infections. Children with SCID need to be protected from germs. This includes keeping them away from crowds and sick people. They are treated with antibiotics to prevent infections such as Candida albicans (a type of yeast) and Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) infections.
They will also be given intravenous immune globulin (IVIG). Immune globulin is also called immunoglobulin or gammaglobulin. It contains antibodies that would normally be made by healthy B cells to help the body fight infection. Immune globulin is usually infused into a vein.
Patients with SCID usually require IVIG infusions once every 3-4 weeks. Each infusion may take from one to five hours. Treatments may be given in a doctor's office, hospital outpatient unit or at home. Many people have no side effects from IVIG infusion, but some people may have side effects such as chills, headaches, fever, nausea and chest tightness. These can usually be controlled with medicine or adjustments to the rate of infusion.
Enzyme therapy for ADA deficiency SCID
The standard treatment for ADA deficiency SCID is treatment with a form of the ADA enzyme called PEG-ADA. Treatment with PEG-ADA is effective in about 90% of children. However, despite PEG-ADA therapy, some children continue to require IVIG treatments.
Transplant
The only known cure for SCID is a bone marrow or cord blood transplant (also called a BMT).
Gene therapy
A treatment option being studied in clinical trials is gene therapy. Gene therapy has shown promising results for some patients with ADA deficiency SCID. At first, gene therapy also appeared to be a promising treatment for X-linked SCID, but some children treated with gene therapy developed leukemia. New trials of gene therapy are in progress. But despite some promising results, gene therapy remains an experimental treatment for SCID.
Treatment
