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Immunodeficiency
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2007) |
| ICD-10 | D84.9 |
|---|---|
| ICD-9 | 279.3 |
| DiseasesDB | 21506 |
| MeSH | D007153 |
In medicine, immunodeficiency (or immune deficiency) is a state in which the immune system's ability to fight infectious disease is compromised or entirely absent. Most cases of immunodeficiency are acquired ("secondary") but some people are born with defects in the immune system, or primary immunodeficiency. A person who has an immunodeficiency of any kind is said to be immunocompromised. An immunocompromised person may be particularly vulnerable to opportunistic infections, in addition to normal infections that could affect everyone.
A number of rare diseases feature a heightened susceptibility to infections from childhood onward. Many of these disorders are hereditary and are autosomal recessive or X-linked. There are over 80 recognised primary immunodeficiency syndromes; they are generally grouped by the part of the immune system that is malfunctioning, such as lymphocytes or granulocytes.[1]
The treatment of primary immunodeficiencies depends on the nature of the defect, and may involve antibody infusions, long-term antibiotics and (in certain cases) stem cell transplantation.
Immune deficiency may also be the result of particular external processes or diseases; the resultant state is called "secondary" or "acquired" immunodeficiency. Common causes for secondary immunodeficiency are malnutrition, aging and particular medications (e.g. chemotherapy, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, immunosuppressive drugs after organ transplants, glucocorticoids).
Many specific diseases directly or indirectly impair the immune system. This include many types of cancer, particularly those of the bone marrow and blood cells (leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma), and certain chronic infections. Immunodeficiency is also the hallmark of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV directly attacks the immune system.
- ^ Rosen FS, Cooper MD, Wedgwood RJ (1995). "The primary immunodeficiencies". N. Engl. J. Med. 333 (7): 431–40. PMID 7616993.
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| Systems | Adaptive immune system vs. Innate immune system • Humoral immune system vs. Cellular immune system • Complement system (Anaphylatoxins) |
| Antibodies and antigens | Antibody (Monoclonal antibodies, Polyclonal antibodies, Autoantibody) • Allotype • Isotype • Idiotype • Antigen (Superantigen) |
| Immune cells | White blood cells (T cell, B cell, NK cell, Mast cell, Basophil, Eosinophil) • Phagocyte (Neutrophil, Macrophage, Dendritic cell) • Antigen-presenting cell • Reticuloendothelial system |
| Immunity vs. tolerance | Immunity • Autoimmunity • Allergy • Tolerance (Central) • Immunodeficiency |
| Immunogenetics | Somatic hypermutation • V(D)J recombination • Immunoglobulin class switching • MHC / HLA |
| Other | Cytokines • Inflammation • Opsonin |