By taking a complete medical history and physical examination of your child. Babies with recurrent bacterial, viral, or fungal infections that do not respond favorably to treatment is highly suggestive of bubble baby disease
Blood tests to measure the number of lymphocytes
Genetic testing: This is done prenatally when the baby is in the womb via amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS), especially if there is another child in the family who has been identified with SCID or in neonates.
How do you Treat Bubble Baby Disease?
Antibiotics are used to prevent and treat infections. For active infections, aggressive antibiotic, antifungal, and antiviral medicines are used
Keep the child in an isolation sterile environment in the hospital
Intravenous immune globulin (IVIG): This provides the body with antibodies which are required by the body to help fight infections
Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT): Stem cells which are found in the bone marrow and from which all types of blood cells develop are introduced into the child’s body to rebuild the immune system
Hematopoietic stem cell transplant: In this case stem cells are collected from the donor’s bloodstream instead of the bone marrow. The result of transplant depends on the graft versus host response
Gene therapy: It is still in the trial stages
Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT): This is useful in cases of SCID which are caused by a shortage of an enzyme called adenosine deaminase (ADA).
How to Prevent Bubble Baby Disease?
Prenatal or neonatal genetic testing should be done if there is another child with a similar genetic defect in the family
Early blood testing of newborn infants
Hematopoietic or bone marrow stem cell transplant (HSCT) surgery to be performed preferably within the first three months of life
Have the child wear a mask
Avoid immunization of the child with vaccines containing live viruses such as measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and chickenpox vaccine
Blood transfusions to be given only with blood that has been irradiated to kill white blood cells.
Published on Dec 06, 2018
Last Updated on Dec 08, 2018
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