Pulmonary Follow-Up Imaging in Cartilage-Hair Hypoplasia: a Prospective Cohort Study

Cartilage-hair hypoplasia is a syndromic immunodeficiency with short stature, chondrodysplasia, and variable degree of immune dysfunction. Patients with cartilage-hair hypoplasia are prone to recurrent respiratory tract infections, and the prevalence of bronchiectasis ranges from 29 to 52%. Pulmonary complications contribute significantly to the mortality; therefore, regular lung imaging is essential. However, the optimal schedule for repeated lung imaging remains unestablished. We determined the rate and correlates of progression of structural lung changes in a prospectively followed cohort of 16 patients with cartilage-hair hypoplasia. We analyzed clinical, laboratory, and pulmonary functional testing data and performed lung magnetic resonance imaging at a median interval of 6.8 years since previous imaging. Imaging findings remained identical or improved due to disappearance of inflammatory changes in all evaluated patients. Patients with subtle signs of bronchiectasis on imaging tended to have low immunoglobulin M levels, as well as suffered from pneumonia during the follow-up. In conclusion, our results suggest slow if any development of bronchiectasis in selected subjects with cartilage-hair hypoplasia.