Objective: To evaluate the incidence and types of primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs) in hospitalized children with infection.

Methods: This prospective study was conducted in five tertiary-care facilities in Kolkata over two years. All children aged upto 12years who were hospitalized were screened for PID using the Jeffrey Modell Foundation (JMF) Criteria. A child who satisfied at least 2 out of 10 warning signs was further evaluated for PIDs.

Results: Out of 33,204 hospital admissions, 50 children satisfied JMF criteria. Of these, 27 were finally diagnosed with an underlying PID, with a prevalence of 1 in 1000 hospitalized children. The majority (37.03%) had antibody deficiency, followed by phagocytic defect (33.3%). Chronic granulomatous disease was the commonest PID, followed by common variable immunodeficiency. Around 62.97% children presented with respiratory infections, and overall Acinetobacter baumannii was the most commonly isolated organism.

Conclusion: This is the first cohort of PID from eastern India. A methodical step-wise clinical and diagnostic approach can facilitate early diagnosis and timely therapeutic interventions.

Moumita Samanta completed her MBBS in 2005 and was awarded the best outgoing female medical graduate by Manipal Academy of Higher Education. She passed the MD in Pediatric Medicine in 2010 and was awarded a gold medal by the West Bengal University of Health Sciences for her outstanding performance. She completed her MRCPCH in 2018. She is the recipient of the Women Researcher Award 2021. She has 56 research articles published in national and international journals, with 868 citations and an h-index of 15. She has worked in Pediatric intensive care for 14 years. Her areas of special interest are pediatric critical care, nephrology, and immunology.