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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Aisling Flinn, Professor Andrew GenneryORCiD
This is the authors' accepted manuscript of an article that has been published in its final definitive form by Mosby Inc., 2020.
For re-use rights please refer to the publisher's terms and conditions.
© 2020 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. The thymus is critical for central tolerance and diverse T-lymphocyte repertoire development, to provide lifelong defense against pathogens while maintaining self-tolerance. Peak thymic output occurs in utero, during infancy, and in early childhood, diminishing throughout life. Infants with congenital heart disease requiring sternotomy often undergo thymectomy to clear the surgical field. The long-term effects of early thymectomy are just being appreciated. Many patients remain asymptomatic despite immunologic findings mirroring those of immunosenescence. Few develop increased infection or lymphoreticular malignancy risk. When considering the effects of infant thymectomy, patients with partial DiGeorge syndrome or hypomorphic recombination-activating gene (RAG) mutations may be instructive. These patients are lymphocytopenic, with increased early-onset infection and autoimmunity risk that is not seen in most patients who underwent thymectomy during infancy. The thymic structure of patients with partial DiGeorge syndrome or hypomorphic RAG is abnormal, with disrupted architecture inclining to perturbation of central tolerance. Similar findings may be seen in patients with myasthenia gravis, although disrupted peripheral tolerance may play a greater role in autoimmunity development. In conclusion, thymectomy during infancy may increase future risk of infection or autoimmunity, with premature immunosenescence mediated through disruption of central and peripheral tolerance mechanisms initiated by early cessation or diminution of thymic output. Ideally, some thymic tissue should be preserved at the time of surgery.
Author(s): Deya-Martinez A, Flinn AM, Gennery AR
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Year: 2020
Volume: 146
Issue: 2
Pages: 236-243
Print publication date: 01/08/2020
Online publication date: 10/03/2020
Acceptance date: 26/02/2020
Date deposited: 19/02/2021
ISSN (print): 0091-6749
ISSN (electronic): 1097-6825
Publisher: Mosby Inc.
URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2020.02.028
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2020.02.028
PubMed id: 32169378
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