Abstract
Transient immunological abnormality in a patient undergoing thymectomy for congenital heart disease correction
Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Research and Training Hospital of Sakarya, Sakarya University Medical Faculty, Adapazarı, Sakarya, Türkiye
Alergologia Polska – Polish Journal of Allergology 2026; 13, 3: 273-278
Congenital heart disease occurs in approximately 9 out of 1,000 newborns. Early cardiac corrective surgery is often associated with partial or total thymectomy. The long-term effects of early thymectomy on the subsequent development of the immune system in humans are not fully known. Some studies have found that total T cell, CD4+- and CD8+- T cell populations were decreased in thymectomized patients compared to controls, whereas cell numbers were similar in some studies. Studies also show that T cell levels and subgroups change according to the time elapsed since thymectomy. A 13-month-old female patient was presented with a history of premature birth followed up at the pediatric cardiology outpatient clinic due to a ventricular septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus, and tricuspid insufficiency. At 9 months of age, the patient had undergone cardiac corrective surgery with partial thymectomy. Postoperatively, the patient had a history of multiple hospitalizations and antibiotic use due to recurrent lung infections. Flow cytometric lymphocyte analysis showed decreased CD3+ T cells: 47% (n: 51–81.8), CD4+ T cells: 12% (n: 27.6–55.6), recent thymic emigrant T cells 18.5% (n: 42.5–82.2), and mildly elevated CD8+ T cells: 34% (n: 12.7–30.9). This case report aims to contribute to the literature and to inform clinicians about the coexistence of congenital heart disease and transient immunological abnormality by presenting our patient, who had a history of thymectomy due to cardiac corrective surgery.
Keywords
congenital heart disease, thymectomy, surgery, immunodeficiency, T-cell
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