Prognosis
In contrast to the CD4+ cell depletion caused by HIV, patients with idiopathic CD4 lymphocytopenia generally have a good prognosis. The decline in CD4+ T-cells in patients with ICL is generally slower than that seen in HIV-infected patients. The major risk to people with ICL is unexpected infections, including cryptococcus, atypical mycobacterial and Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (PCP). The condition may also resolve on its own.
ICL sometimes precedes and may be the first signal of several blood cancers. ICL patients have developed primary effusion lymphoma, primary leptomeningeal lymphoma, diffuse large cell lymphoma, MALT lymphoma, and Burkitt's lymphoma, among others.
ICL may indirectly trigger autoimmune diseases. It has been associated with several cases of autoimmune disease Sjogren's syndrome.
Because all of the reported autoimmune diseases and lymphomas involve B cells, one hypothesis proposes that ICL's narrow T cell repertoire predisposes the immune system to B cell disorders.
Read more about this topic: Idiopathic CD4+ Lymphocytopenia