Immunodeficiency, also known as immunocompromisation, is a state in which the immune system‘s ability to fight infectious diseases and cancer is compromised or absent. Most cases are acquired due to extrinsic factors that affect the patient’s immune system. Examples of these extrinsic factors include HIV infection and environmental factors, such as nutrition. Immunocompromisation may also be due to genetic diseases/flaws. An example here is SCID. A person who has an immunodeficiency of any kind is said to be immunocompromised. An immunocompromised individual may particularly be vulnerable to opportunistic infections, in addition to normal infections that could affect anyone. Siddha Spirituality of Swami Hardas Life System brings out in-depth for your well-being.
What is immunodeficiency?
Disorder of immunodeficiency prevents your body from fighting infections and diseases. This type of disorder makes it easier for you to catch viruses and bacterial infections. Immunodeficiency disorders are either congenital or acquired. A congenital, or primary, the disorder is one you were born with. Acquired, or secondary, disorders you get later in life. Acquired disorders are more common than congenital disorders.
Your immune system includes organs i.e. spleen, tonsils, bone marrow, and lymph nodes. These organs make and release lymphocytes. These are white blood cells classified as B cells and T cells. B and T cells fight invaders called antigens. B cells release antibodies specific to the disease your body detects. T cells destroy foreign or abnormal cells.
What are the Symptoms of Immunodeficiency?
Each disorder has unique symptoms that can be frequent or chronic. Some of these symptoms can include:
- Pinkeye
- Sinus infections
- Colds
- Diarrhea
- Pneumonia
- Yeast infections
If these problems don’t respond to treatment or you don’t completely get better over time, your doctor might test you for an immunodeficiency disorder.
What are the types of Immunodeficiency?
By affected component
- Humoral immune deficiency, with signs or symptoms depending on the cause, but generally include signs of hypogammaglobulinemia (decrease of one or more types of antibodies) with presentations including repeated mild respiratory infections, and/or agammaglobulinemia, which results in frequent severe infections and is often fatal.
- T cell deficiency often causes secondary disorders such as acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
- Granulocyte deficiency, including decreased numbers of granulocytes such as neutrophil granulocytes. Granulocyte deficiencies also include the decreased function of individual granulocytes, such as in chronic granulomatous disease.
- Asplenia, where there is no function of the spleen.
- Complement deficiency is where the function of the complement system is deficient.
In reality, immunodeficiency often affects multiple components, with notable examples including severe combined immunodeficiency and acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
| Affected components | Main causes | Main pathogens of resultant infections | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Humoral immune deficiency B cell deficiency | B cells, plasma cells, or antibodies |
|
|
| T cell deficiency | T cells |
|
Intracellular pathogens, including Herpes simplex virus, Mycobacterium, Listeria, and intracellular fungal infections. |
| Neutropenia | Neutrophil granulocytes |
|
|
| Asplenia | Spleen |
|
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| Complement deficiency | Complement system |
|
|
Primary or secondary Immunodeficiency
The distinction between primary versus secondary immunodeficiencies is based on, respectively, whether the cause originates in the immune system itself or is, in turn, due to insufficiency of a supporting component of it or an external decreasing factor of it.
Primary immunodeficiency
Several rare diseases feature a heightened susceptibility to infections from childhood onward. Primary Immunodeficiency is also known as congenital immunodeficiencies. Many of these disorders are hereditary and are autosomal recessive or X-linked. There are over 95 recognized primary immunodeficiency syndromes; they are generally grouped by the part of the immune system that is malfunctioning, such as lymphocytes or granulocytes.
The treatment of primary immunodeficiencies depends on the nature of the defect and may involve:
- Antibody infusions,
- Long-term antibiotics, and
- In some cases stem cell transplantation.
The characteristics of lacking and/or impaired antibody functions can be related to illnesses such as X-Linked Agammaglobulinemia and Common Variable Immune Deficiency.
Secondary immunodeficiencies
Acquired immunodeficiencies, also known as Secondary immunodeficiencies, can result from various immunosuppressive agents, which include:
- Malnutrition,
- Aging,
- Particular medications, and
- Environmental toxins like mercury and other heavy metals, pesticides, and petrochemicals like styrene, dichlorobenzene, xylene, and ethylphenol.
Various specific diseases directly or indirectly cause immunosuppression, which includes:
Many types of cancer, particularly those of the bone marrow and blood cells e.g. 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 infects a small number of T helper cells and also impairs other immune system responses indirectly.
Various hormonal and metabolic disorders can also result in immune deficiency including anemia, hypothyroidism, and hyperglycemia. Smoking, alcoholism, and drug abuse also depress immune responses.
Who is at risk for immunodeficiency disorders?
People who have a family history of primary immunodeficiency disorders have a higher-than-normal risk for developing primary disorders.
Anything that weakens your immune system can lead to a secondary immunodeficiency disorder. For example, exposure to bodily fluids infected with HIV, or removing the spleen can cause.
Spleen removal may be necessary because of conditions like cirrhosis of the liver, sickle cell anemia, or trauma to the spleen.
Aging also weakens your immune system. As you age, some of the organs that produce white blood cells shrink and produce fewer of them.
Proteins are important for your immunity. Not enough protein in your diet can weaken your immune system.
Your body also produces proteins when you sleep that help your body fight infection. For this reason, lack of sleep reduces your immune defenses. Cancers and chemotherapy drugs can also reduce your immunity.
A recent breakdown of COVID-19 is also a great cause of concern, which mainly targets the human body’s immune system.
The following diseases and conditions are linked to primary immunodeficiency disorders:
- Ataxia-telangiectasia,
- Chediak-Higashi syndrome,
- Combined immunodeficiency disease,
- Complement deficiencies,
- DiGeorge syndrome,
- Hypogammaglobulinemia,
- Job syndrome,
- Leukocyte adhesion defects,
- Panhypogammaglobulinemia,
- Bruton’s disease,
- Congenital agammaglobulinemia,
- Selective deficiency of IgA, and
- Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome.
Immunodeficiency syndromes and autoimmunity
There are a large number of immunodeficiency syndromes that present clinical and laboratory characteristics of autoimmunity. The decreased ability of the immune system to clear infections in these patients may be responsible for causing autoimmunity through perpetual immune system activation.
One example is common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) where multiple autoimmune diseases are seen, which include:
- Inflammatory bowel disease,
- Autoimmune thrombocytopenia, and
- Autoimmune thyroid disease.
Familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, an autosomal recessive primary immunodeficiency, is another example. Low blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, rashes, lymph node enlargement, and enlargement of the liver and spleen are commonly seen in these patients.
In addition to chronic and/or recurrent infections, many autoimmune diseases include:
- Arthritis,
- Autoimmune hemolytic anemia,
- Scleroderma, and
- Type 1 diabetes are also seen in X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA).
Recurrent bacterial and fungal infections and chronic inflammation of the gut and lungs are seen in chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) as well.
What Causes Immunodeficiency?
The cause of immunodeficiency varies depending on the nature of the disorder. The cause can be either genetic or acquired by malnutrition and poor sanitary conditions. Only for some genetic causes, the exact genes are known.
How to prevent Immunodeficiency?
Primary immunodeficiency disorders can be controlled and treated, but they can’t be prevented.
Secondary disorders can be prevented in several ways. For example, it’s possible to prevent yourself from getting AIDS by not having unprotected sex with someone who carries HIV.
Sleep is very important for a healthy immune system. Adults need about eight hours of sleep per night. It’s also important that you stay away from people who are sick if your immune system isn’t working properly.
If you have a contagious immunodeficiency disorder like AIDS, you can keep others healthy by practicing safe sex and not sharing bodily fluids with people who aren’t infected.
How Immunodeficiency is Treated?
Available treatment falls into two modalities: treating infections and boosting the immune system.
Prevention of Pneumocystis pneumonia using trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole is useful in those who are immunocompromised. In the early 1950s, doctors used immunoglobulin (Ig) to treat patients with primary immunodeficiency through intramuscular injection.
Ig replacement therapy are infusions that can be either subcutaneous or intravenously administrated, resulting in higher Ig levels for about three to four weeks, although this varies with each patient.
What should we know about the Immune System and Lymph?
The immune system is your body’s version of the military: sworn to defend against all who threaten it, both foreign and domestic. It has some really interesting soldiers that help make this possible. Your immune system protects against disease, infection, and helps you recover after an injury.
The immune system is a complex fighting system powered by five liters of blood and lymph. A lymph is a clear and colorless liquid that passes throughout the tissues of the body.
Together, these two fluids transport all the immune system elements so they can do their jobs.
Prognosis
Prognosis depends greatly on the nature and severity of the condition. Some deficiencies cause early mortality (before age one), others with or even without treatment are lifelong conditions that cause little mortality or morbidity. Newer stem cell transplant technologies may lead to gene-based treatments of debilitating and fatal genetic immune deficiencies. The prognosis of acquired immune deficiencies depends on avoiding or treating the causative agent or condition (like AIDS).
Reference:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immunodeficiency
- https://www.healthline.com/health/immunodeficiency-disorders#risk-factors