What Are The Symptoms Of Velocardiofacial Syndrome?

Issues Fighting Infections

Velocardiofacial syndrome is known to produce issues with fighting infections in patients. An individual's immune system is formed with the development of their thymus gland, which starts early in their fetal development. The number of fully matured infection-fighting T-lymphocyte cells produced in an individual's body is directly correlated with the size of their thymus gland. Velocardiofacial syndrome patients may have an absent or underdeveloped thymus gland. The underdevelopment or absence of the thymus gland poses a threat to patients because their bodies do not have the tools it needs to fight foreign pathogens effectively.

As a result, an individual affected by velocardiofacial syndrome will experience more frequent illness and infections than their peers. In addition, these patients are more likely to develop an autoimmune disorder at some point in their lives because their immune system is regularly exposed to numerous infection-causing agents, making them more vulnerable to immune dysfunction.