By definition, primary immune deficiencies are due to genetic causes. They may result from a single genetic defect, but most are multifactorial. They may be caused by recessive or dominant inheritance. Some are latent, and require a certain environmental trigger to become manifest, like the presence in the environment of a reactive allergen. Other problems become apparent due to aging of bodily and cellular maintenance processes.

A survey of 10,000 American households revealed that the prevalence of diagnosed primary immunodeficiency approaches 1 in 1200. This figure does not take into account people with mild immune system defects who have not received a formal diagnosis.

Milder forms of primary immunodeficiency, such as selective immunoglobulin A deficiency, are fairly common, with random groups of people (such as otherwise healthy blood donors) having a rate of 1:600. Other disorders are distinctly more uncommon, with incidences between 1:100,000 and 1:2,000,000 being reported.

Current research suggests that nearly 8% of the population has at least partial DPD deficiency. A diagnostics determination test for DPD deficiency is available and it is expected that with a potential 500,000 people in North America using 5-FU this form of testing will increase. The whole genetic events affecting the DPYD gene and possibly impacting on its function are far from being elucidated, and epigenetic regulations could probably play a major role in DPD deficiency. It seems that the actual incidence of DPD deficiency remains to be understood because it could depend on the very technique used to detect it. Screening for genetic polymorphisms affecting the "DPYD" gene usually identify less than 5% of patients bearing critical mutations, whereas functional studies suggest that up to 20% of patients could actually show various levels of DPD deficiency.

Women could be more at risk than men. It is more common among African-Americans than it is among Caucasians.

The cause of complement deficiency is genetics (though cases of an acquired nature do exist post infection). The majority of complement deficiencies are autosomal recessive, while properdin deficiency could be X-linked inheritance, and finally MBL deficiency can be both.

In the world less than 1 in 1.00.000 have HIDS [5]. 200 individuals throughout the world do suffer from MVK.

Acquired hypocomplementemia may occur in the setting of bone infections (osteomyelitis), infection of the lining of the heart (endocarditis), and cryoglobulinemia. Systemic lupus erythematosus is associated with low C3 and C4 Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis usually has low C3.

Congenital disorder of glycosylation type IIc or Leukocyte adhesion deficiency-2 (LAD2) is a type of leukocyte adhesion deficiency attributable to the absence of neutrophil sialyl-LewisX, a ligand of P- and E-selectin on vascular endothelium. It is associated with "SLC35C1".

This disorder was discovered in two unrelated Israeli boys 3 and 5 years of age, each the offspring of consanguineous parents. Both had severe mental retardation, short stature, a distinctive facial appearance, and the Bombay (hh) blood phenotype, and both were secretor- and Lewis-negative. They both had had recurrent severe bacterial infections similar to those seen in patients with LAD1, including pneumonia, peridontitis, otitis media, and localized cellulitis. Similar to that in patients with LAD1, their infections were accompanied by pronounced leukocytosis (30,000 to 150,000/mm) but an absence of pus formation at sites of recurrent cellulitis. In vitro studies revealed a pronounced defect in neutrophil motility. Because the genes for the red blood cell H antigen and for the secretor status encode for distinct α1,2-fucosyltransferases and the synthesis of Sialyl-LewisX requires an α1,3-fucosyltransferase, it was postulated that a general defect in fucose metabolism is the basis for this disorder. It was subsequently found that GDP-L-fucose transport into Golgi vesicles was specifically impaired, and then missense mutations in the GDP-fucose transporter cDNA of three patients with LAD2 were discovered. Thus, GDP-fucose transporter deficiency is a cause of LAD2.

Mevalonate kinase deficiency, also called mevalonic aciduria and hyper immunoglobin D syndrome is an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder that disrupts the biosynthesis of cholesterol and isoprenoids.

It is characterized by an elevated level of immunoglobin D in the blood.

The enzyme is involved in biosynthesis of cholesterols and isoprenoids. The enzyme is necessary for the conversion of mevalonate to mevalonate-5-phosphate in the presence of Mg2+ [Harper’s biochemistry manual]. Mevalonate kinase deficiency causes the accumulation of mevalonate in urine and hence the activity of the enzyme is again reduced Mevalonate kinase deficiency. It was first described as HIDS in 1984.

This condition is very rare; approximately 600 cases have been reported worldwide. In most parts of the world, only 1% to 2% of all infants with high phenylalanine levels have this disorder. In Taiwan, about 30% of newborns with elevated levels of phenylalanine have a deficiency of THB.

IgG deficiency (Selective deficiency of immunoglobulin G) is a form of dysgammaglobulinemia where the proportional levels of the IgG isotype are reduced relative to other immunoglobulin isotypes. IgG deficiency is often found in children as transient hypogammaglobulinemia of infancy (THI), which may occur with or without additional decreases in IgA or IgM.

IgG has four subclasses: IgG, IgG, IgG, and IgG. It is possible to have either a global IgG deficiency, or a deficiency of one or more specific subclasses of IgG. The main clinically relevant form of IgG deficiency is IgG. IgG deficiency is not usually encountered without other concomitant immunoglobulin deficiencies, and IgG deficiency is very common but usually asymptomatic.

IgG1 is present in the bloodstream at a percentage of about 60-70%, IgG2-20-30%, IgG3 about 5-8 %, and IgG4 1-3 %. IgG subclass deficiencies affect only IgG subclasses (usually IgG2 or IgG3), with normal total IgG and IgM immunoglobulins and other components of the immune system being at normal levels. These deficiencies can affect only one subclass or involve an association of two subclasses, such as IgG2 and IgG4. IgG deficiencies are usually not diagnosed until the age of 10. Some of the IgG levels in the blood are undetectable and have a low percentage such as IgG4, which makes it hard to dertermine if a deficiency is actually present. IgG subclass deficiencies are sometimes correlated with bad responses to pneumoccal polyscaccharides, especially IgG2 and or IgG4 deficiency. Some of these deficiencies are also involved with pancreatitis and have been linked to IgG4 levels.

As of June 2014 (the latest update on HFM in GeneReviews) a total of 32 families had been reported with a clinical diagnosis of HFM of which there was genotypic confirmation in 24 families. Since then, another two confirmed cases have been reported and an additional case was reported based on a clinical diagnosis alone. Most cases emerge from consanguineous parents with homozygous mutations. There are three instances of HFM from non-consanguineous parents in which there were heterozygous mutations. HFM cases are worldwide with mostly private mutations. However, a number of families of Puerto Rican ancestry have been reported with a common pathogenic variant at a splice receptor site resulting in the deletion of exon 3 and the absence of transport function. A subsequent population-based study of newborn infants in Puerto Rico identified the presence of the same variant on the island. Most of the pathogenic variants result in a complete loss of the PCFT protein or point mutations that result in the complete loss of function. However, residual function can be detected with some of the point mutants.

A small number of genetic variants have been repeatedly associated with DPD deficiency, such as IVS14+1G>A mutation in intron 14 coupled with exon 14 deletion (a.k.a. DPYD*2A), 496A>G in exon 6; 2846A>T in exon 22 and T1679G (a.k.a. DPYD*13) in exon 13. However, testing patients for these allelic variants usually show high specificity (i.e., bearing the mutation means that severe toxicity will occur indeed)but very low sentivity (i.e., not bearing the mutation does not mean that there is no risk for severe toxicities). Alternatively, phenotyping DPD using ex-vivo enzymatic assay or surrogate testing (i.e., monitoring physiological dihydrouracil to uracil ratio in plasma) has been presented as a possible upfront strategy to detect DPD deficiency. 5-FU test dose (i.e., preliminary administration of a small dose of 5-FU with pharmacokinetics evaluation) has been proposed as another possible alternative strategy to secure the use of fluoropyrimidine drugs.

A 1999 retrospective study of 74 cases of neonatal onset found that 32 (43%) patients died during their first hyperammonemic episode. Of those who survived, less than 20% survived to age 14. Few of these patients received liver transplants.

Heterozygous protein C deficiency occurs in 0.14–0.50% of the general population. Based on an estimated carrier rate of 0.2%, a homozygous or compound heterozygous protein C deficiency incidence of 1 per 4 million births could be predicted, although far fewer living patients have been identified. This low prevalence of patients with severe genetic protein C deficiency may be explained by excessive fetal demise, early postnatal deaths before diagnosis, heterogeneity in the cause of low concentrations of protein C among healthy individuals and under-reporting.

The incidence of protein C deficiency in individuals who present with clinical symptoms has been reported to be estimated at 1 in 20,000.

Based on the results of worldwide screening of biotinidase deficiency in 1991, the incidence of the disorder is:

5 in 137,401 for profound biotinidase deficiency

- One in 109,921 for partial biotinidase deficiency

- One in 61,067 for the combined incidence of profound and partial biotinidase deficiency

- Carrier frequency in the general population is approximately one in 120.

Methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the methyl cycle, and it is encoded by the "MTHFR" gene. Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase catalyzes the conversion of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate to 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, a cosubstrate for homocysteine remethylation to methionine. Natural variation in this gene is common in healthy people. Although some variants have been reported to influence susceptibility to occlusive vascular disease, neural tube defects, Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, colon cancer, and acute leukemia, findings from small early studies have not been reproduced. Some mutations in this gene are associated with methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase deficiency.

A triplex tetra-primer ARMS-PCR method was developed for the simultaneous detection of C677T and A1298C polymorphisms with the A66G MTRR polymorphism in a single PCR reaction.

Transaldolase deficiency is recognized as a rare inherited pleiotropic metabolic disorder first recognized and described in 2001 that is autosomal recessive. There have been only a few cases that have been noted, as of 2012 there have been 9 patients recognized with this disease and one fetus.

Since the report of this first case in 1999, no further patients have been diagnosed. In the search for an explanation for this rarity, it has been found that the patient has a seldom-seen allelic combination. One allele is a non-functional null allele, while the other encodes for a partially active enzyme. Furthermore, the partially functional allele has expression deficits that depend on the cell type in which it is expressed. Therefore, some of the patient's cells have a considerable amount of RPI activity, whereas others do not.

The molecular cause of the pathology is not fully understood. One hypothesis is that ribose-5-phosphate may lack for RNA synthesis; another possibility is that the accumulation of D-ribitol and D-arabitol may be toxic.

Protein C deficiency is a rare genetic trait that predisposes to thrombotic disease. It was first described in 1981. The disease belongs to a group of genetic disorders known as thrombophilias. Protein C deficiency is associated with an increased incidence of venous thromboembolism (relative risk 8–10), whereas no association with arterial thrombotic disease has been found.

Ribose-5-phosphate isomerase deficiency (RPI deficiency, OMIM #608611) is a human disorder caused by mutations in the pentose phosphate pathway enzyme ribose-5-phosphate isomerase. With a single diagnosed patient over a 27-year period, RPI deficiency is currently the rarest disease in the world.

Treatment of THB deficiencies consists of THB supplementation (2–20 mg/kg per day) or diet to control blood phenylalanine concentration and replacement therapy with neurotransmitters precursors (L-DOPA and 5-HTP) and supplements of folinic acid in DHPR deficiency.

Tetrahydrobiopterin is available as a tablet for oral administration in the form of "tetrahydrobiopterin dihydrochloride" (BH4*2HCL). BH4*2HCL is FDA approved under the trade name Kuvan. The typical cost of treating a patient with Kuvan is $100,000 per year. BioMarin holds the patent for Kuvan until at least 2024, but Par Pharmaceutical has a right to produce a generic version by 2020. BH4*2HCL is indicated at least in tetrahydrobiopterin deficiency caused by GTPCH deficiency or PTPS deficiency.

Hereditary folate malabsorption (HFM - OMIM #229050) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by loss-of-function mutations in the proton-coupled folate transporter (PCFT) gene, resulting in systemic folate deficiency and impaired delivery of folate to the brain.

CLL is primarily a disease of older adults, with a median age of 70 years at the time of diagnosis. Though less common, CLL sometimes affects people between 30 and 39 years of age. The incidence of CLL increases very quickly with increasing age.

In the United States during 2014, about 15,720 new cases are expected to be diagnosed, and 4,600 patients are expected to die from CLL. Because of the prolonged survival, which was typically about 10 years in past decades, but which can extend to a normal life expectancy, the prevalence (number of people living with the disease) is much higher than the incidence (new diagnoses). CLL is the most common type of leukemia in the UK, accounting for 38% of all leukemia cases. Approximately 3,200 people were diagnosed with the disease in 2011.

In Western populations, subclinical "disease" can be identified in 3.5% of normal adults, and in up to 8% of individuals over the age of 70. That is, small clones of B cells with the characteristic CLL phenotype can be identified in many healthy elderly persons. The clinical significance of these cells is unknown.

In contrast, CLL is rare in Asian countries, such as Japan, China, and Korea, accounting for less than 10% of all leukemias in those regions. A low incidence is seen in Japanese immigrants to the US, and in African and Asian immigrants to Israel.

Of all cancers involving the same class of blood cell, 7% of cases are CLL/SLL.

Rates of CLL are somewhat elevated in people exposed to certain chemicals. Under U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs regulations, Vietnam veterans who served in-country or in the inland waterways of Vietnam and who later develop CLL are presumed to have contracted it from exposure to Agent Orange and may be entitled to compensation.

Glutathione synthetase deficiency is a rare autosomal recessive metabolic disorder that prevents the production of glutathione. Glutathione helps prevent damage to cells by neutralizing harmful molecules generated during energy production. Glutathione also plays a role in processing medications and cancer-causing compounds (carcinogens), and building DNA, proteins, and other important cellular components.