The Primary Immunodeficiency Expert Committee was originally set up under the auspices of the World Health Organisation in 1973 to describe and classify the types of primary immune defects affecting humans.
This classification, of those diseases recognised at the time, was published in a report (Cooper MD et al NEJM 288 966-967) and revised every two years subsequently.
However the WHO made a policy decision to concentrate on more prevalent diseases and the IUIS agreed to take on the remit of this committee; this was formalised at the 54th IUIS Council meeting in Tapei in 2008.
The process of considering reports of new primary immune deficiencies [PIDs] in order to classify them appropriately continues at biennial meetings held in different continents. An up-to-date report on an ever increasing list of primary immunodeficiencies is produced at each meeting and published in an immunological journal for worldwide access. The most recent meeting (held in Jackson Hole, Wyoming in June 2007) was reported in JACI in September 2007 (Primary immunodeficiency diseases: an update from the International Union of Immunological Societies Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases Classification Committee. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 120:776-94).
Since there are now over 180 primary immune deficiencies, with about 20 new ones per year, the report provides important definitions for clinical management and standardised research, as well as for patients. Readers of the report include clinicians who use this document in their daily practice in many countries. Many national and international healthcare providers use the document for the basis of funding therapies and professional medical bodies have based their diagnostic guidelines on this classification.
Mission Statement
- To provide an up-to-date classification of all primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs), on a biennial basis, in order to assist with the identification, diagnosis and management of patients with these uncommon conditions.
- To support, when requested to do so, diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines developed by national societies and others, to assist healthcare providers.
- To promote awareness, diagnosis and treatment of PIDs in all regions of the world
- To produce ad hoc reports on any aspect of PIDs, to assist in the welfare of patients with these conditions
Please follow the links to learn more about the Primary Immunodeficiency Committee members and activities.
Committee Members Activities