Immunodépression

The immunodépression , or immunodéficience , characterizes a state in which a person sees her immunizing defenses weakened.

General information

One distinguishes the immunodéficience from genetic cause, or innate immunodéficience (whose one of the extreme cases is represented by the child-bubbles), and acquired limmunodéficience (the most known example is that of the AIDS).

A immunodéficience' usually supports on the one hand the abnormal development of Microbe S not-pathogenic, persons in charge then of diseases known as opportunist , as well as the more frequent and more serious development of infection to pathogenic germs, and on the other hand also allows in certain case the appearance of Cancer S which develop because of absence of control of abnormal cells of the organization which will be put to reproduce without control (at the person immunocompétente, the immune system indeed makes it possible to reduce the cancer risk, in particular thanks to the role of cells NK - Natural Killer- of which one their characteristics is to destroy certain pre-cancerous cells).

Causes of immunodéficience

; (nonexhaustive list) Warning intended for the reader : there exist several degrees of immunodépression; in the examples quoted below, it is obviously that for example, the level of immunodépression induced by aspirine is of nothing comparable with that induces by the AIDS… Useless thus to panic if you recently took of aspirine or another drug immuno-depressor, but that is an argument in favor of the limitation of self medication (aspirine can for example worsen an untreated infection), and it is often preferable to require opinion of its doctor or pharmacist before taking a drug which one has at home.

Innate causes

The immunodéficience exists sometimes as of the birth. It then has often a genetic cause. Certain actors of immunizing defense are not correctly manufactured because of an anomaly of the gene which codes this information. This lack is expressed by a faulty operation of osseous marrow, in charge of the manufacture of the cells of immunity.

Example: The osseous marrow of a child reached of such a immunodéficience cannot manufacture phagocytes or lymphocytes B (thus not of antibody) or T. It thus does not have the elements necessary to be defended against the infections.

It is sometimes possible to correct an innate immunodéficience thanks to a bone-marrow graft.

Acquired causes

infectious Agents :

- Bacterium S: Cyanobactérie S.

- Virus: HIV (virus of the AIDS).

majority of the chronic inflammatory diseases and the cancerous diseases .

Causes Iatrogenic S :

- drugs anti-inflammatory drugs: stéroïdiens (of the family of the Corticoid S) or not stéroïdiens (of the family of the Aspirine: AINS).

- drugs anti-rejections (used in the Clerc's Offices of bodies).

- Radiothérapie (if it is practiced on a body large surface). On the same principle, the accidental irradiation can be responsible for a immudepression in the event of important amounts.

- some Interféron S.

Causes Psychogenic S : it was shown that the stress causes a certain degree of immunodéficence.

Drugs used to fight against the immunodépression

- (TO BE CHECKED) Some Interleukine S, Interféron S and growth factors (the growth factors are molecules which order with the cells of the organization to reproduce: are used in this case of the growth factors stimulating the development of the Leucocytes).

- Transfusion of Leucocyte S (white globules) in very particular cases.

See too

opportunist Immunosuppression
Disease

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