Recurrent severe respiratory infections with low CRP secondary to autoimmune IL-6 deficiency.

Abstract

C reactive protein (CRP) is an inflammatory protein that is often used in conjunction with the clinical presentation of a patient to help with quantifying infection severity and measuring treatment response. We report the case of a patient who presented with severe pneumonias but had a suboptimal CRP response, later diagnosed as having an underlying immunodeficiency. This case exemplifies the need to consider immunodeficiency as an underlying pathophysiological cause in patients presenting with complicated and severe infections.