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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 either Congenital or acquired. A person who has an immunodeficiency is said to be '''immunocompromised'''. An immunocompromised person is very vulnerable to Opportunistic Infection s. Boys more often than girls can have immune deficiency. Mostly immune deficiency is recognized in the early ages unless it is an acquired immune deficiency. CONGENITAL (OR PRIMARY) IMMUNE DEFICIENCY A number of Rare Disease s feature a heightened susceptibility to Infection s from childhood onward. Many of these disorders are Hereditary and Autosomal Recessive . The following is a list of the congenital immunodeficiencies organized by the immune component that is impaired or missing.
ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY Although elderly people are generally more susceptible to infections, this can be increased in the presence of a number of blood disorders (see Hematology ); important examples are Multiple Myeloma and Chronic Lymphatic Leukemia (CLL). Immune Suppression is a common side-effect of many Drugs , most importantly Chemotherapy . However, Disease-modifying Antirheumatic Drug s (DMARDs) are used to suppress immune activity in Autoimmune Disorder s to slow progression of this type of disease. Any drug that causes Neutropenia or Agranulocytosis can cause immune suppression and Sepsis . Organ Transplant recipients are given Immunosuppressive Drug s to avoid Transplant Rejection . Immune deficiency is also the hallmark of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), caused by a virus, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) . HIV destroys CD4+- T-lymphocytes ( Helper T Cell s), which play a critical role in modulating immune response, and the loss of these immune cells leads eventually to immunocompromise and opportunistic infections. BIOCHEMISTRY In all higher mammals a complex set of biochemicals is present that regulates the immune system. Imbalances of these chemicals by nutritional deficit, disease or infection can compromise the immune system. |
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