Chronic granulomatous disease is an immunodeficiency disorder in which certain types of white blood cells, called phagocytes, are unable to protect the body against infections caused by bacteria or fungi. This rare disease is caused by the inheritance of two defective genes–one from each parent–and occurs in approximately one in every 200,000 births within the United States, explains the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. If you or your child develop chronic granulomatous disease symptoms, talk with your doctor as soon as possible for further evaluation and care.
Persistent or Recurrent Infections
The most common symptom of chronic granulomatous disease is the development of persistent or recurrent infections. Life-threatening infections can affect any region of the body but most commonly occur within the skin, nasal passageways, bones, joints or lungs, warn health officials at the National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc. These infections may include pneumonia, sinusitis, eczema, meningitis or osteomyelitis and typically occur more than twice within one year. Patients can experience multiple infections at once, and these infections are characteristically unresponsive to treatment with traditional antibacterial or antifungal medications. Typically, patients with this condition need to receive medications in the hospital through intravenous administration to resolve these recurrent infections, explain officials at the Chronic Granulomatous Disease Association.
Diarrhea
If your body is unable to fight off bacterial or fungal infection due to chronic granulomatous disease, you may experience frequent diarrhea as a symptom of this condition, explains Medline Plus, a medical information website provided by the National Institutes of Health. Diarrhea results in frequent bowel movements that yield loose or watery stools and can occur in conjunction with nausea or abdominal bloating, cramping or pain. Severe or recurrent episodes of diarrhea can cause your body to become dehydrated due to extensive fluid loss. Diarrhea can also lead to weight loss or may make it difficult for infants or young children to gain weight normally.
Swollen Lymph Nodes
This disease can cause patients to develop persistent lymph node swelling within the neck. The lymph nodes are a part of your body’s immune system and act to filter pathogens from your blood. Medline Plus reports that patients with chronic granulomatous disease often develop swollen neck lymph nodes as infants or young children. Excessive swelling and fluid accumulation within the nymph nodes may require surgical intervention to drain pus or fluid from the affected site. Swollen lymph nodes within the neck may also be tender to the touch and can make it difficult to turn your neck normally.
