ICID is the preliminary result of an ambition to build an international center and outpatient clinic with specialty in diagnostics, treatment and research within immunodeficiencies. Department Q of Infectious Diseases, The Pediatric Department and The Clinical Immunological Department work in close cooperation with other researchers from our research unit.

ICID was established in March 2012 with a grant from Region Midt. The goal was to gather all patients in Jutland with rare immune defects and organize better diagnosing and treatment. The center is focusing on so called primary immune defects that are sometimes expressed for the first time in adulthood as long-lasting diseases that are difficult to treat.

Even though there exist a lot of different immune defects and complications, most patients in ICID have in common, that they have waited a long time on their diagnosis. Many have had several pneumonias or other infections and have been hospitalized in different departments before they end up at ICID and get a diagnosis of an immune defect. The diseases are often expressed in very different ways and only few general practitioners consider an immune defect as a diagnosis on the basis of the patient’s symptoms.

It can have serious consequences for the patient, if the diagnosis is made too late. For example most pneumonias can lead to chronic changes in the lung tissue and a permanent decrease of the lung function. With ICID it has become possible to make the correct diagnosis in an earlier stage of the disease of thereby reduce the risk of complications. 

Immunology and immunodeficiency diseases are important research areas for our research unit, as it gives us the opportunity to obtain basic biologic knowledge that can be used in other cases of infectious diseases. By studying patients with congenital immune defects, researchers of Department Q can gain insight into how infections with different kinds of microorganisms such as virus, bacteria and fungi interact with the immune system.

The immune system is extremely sophisticated and complex, and as the cause of an immune defect varies from one person to another, it can be a challenging problem to find the right diagnosis and treatment. Some cases need prophylactic treatment with a vaccine, antibiotics or fungi treatment, while other patients are missing certain molecules or antibodies. Sometimes it can even be necessary to do a bone marrow transplant – this is especially the case in children.

Patients in ICID are often examined both cellular, molecularly and on a genetic level to find as targeted treatment as possible. In some cases tests are send to foreign countries where ICID cooperate with some of the leading researchers of immunodeficiency diseases and immunology.
By gathering the best expertise and the newest technological examination methods ICID makes sure, that patients with immunodeficiencies get the best treatment possible, and furthermore the combination contributes with essential research results within the immunological field. 

You can read more about the research projects of ICID below:

• Herpes Encephalit
• HPV and Mycobacteria
• CVID-Patients
• The Danish CVID-cohort