Pulmonary disease in the immunocompromised child

Immune deficiency states in children may be related to primary immunodefici ency syndromes or secondary disorders of the immune system. The secondary i mmunodeficiencies in children include human immunodeficiency virus-associat ed acquired immunodeficiency, as well as immunosuppression secondary to ant ineoplastic chemotherapeutic agents, bone marrow transplantation, and drugs given to prevent transplant rejection. This article discusses the common p rimary and secondary immunocompromised states of childhood, with emphasis o n their attendant infectious, lymphoproliferative, and neoplastic complicat ions.