A 2-year-old boy is brought to the physician for the evaluation of fever, difficulty breathing, and coughing for the past week. In the past year, he has had four sinus infections, three upper respiratory tract infections, and an episode of severe bronchiolitis requiring hospitalization. is born with facial dysmorphia and a cleft palate. Further evaluation reveals a heart condition with a right-to-left shunt and the absence of a thymic shadow on x-ray. Examination of this patient's lymph nodes will most likely show poor development of which of the following structures?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: DiGeorge syndrome causes an extreme deficiency in the number of mature T lymphocytes, leading to poor development of the lymph node paracortex.  In contrast, agammaglobulinemia causes an absence of B cells, preventing primary lymphoid follicles and germinal centers from forming in the lymph node cortex.

A 2-Year-Old Boy Is Brought to the Physician for the Evaluation