The Jeffrey Modell Foundation created the “10 Warning Signs of Primary Immunodeficiency” along with the American Red Cross and the JMF Medical Advisory Board to continue its mission to assure earliest possible diagnosis.

Since the early 1990s, the “10 Warning Signs” have been translated into more than 50 languages and distributed throughout the world. In 2010, the Warning Signs were slightly revised as the medical community developed greater knowledge of Primary Immunodeficiencies.

Primary Immunodeficiency causes children and adults to have infections that come back frequently or are unusually hard to cure. 1:500 persons are affected by one of the known Primary Immunodeficiencies.

If you or someone you know is affected by two or more of the following Warning Signs, speak to a physician about the possible presence of an underlying Primary Immunodeficiency.

  1. Four or more new ear infections within 1 year.
  2. Two or more serious sinus infections within 1 year.
  3. Two or more months on antibiotics with little effect.
  4. Two or more pneumonias within 1 year.
  5. Failure of an infant to gain weight or grow normally.
  6. Recurrent, deep skin or organ abscesses.
  7. Persistent thrush in mouth or fungal infection on skin.
  8. Need for intravenous antibiotics to clear infections.
  9. Two or more deep-seated infections including septicemia.
  10. A family history of PI.


To read the 10 Warning Signs in additional languages, click here: http://info4pi.org/library/educational-materials/10-warning-signs-international.