Diseases of the Immune System

Immune System Diseases Allergies Immunodeficiencies Autoimmune Disorders

Immune System Diseases - Allergies Abnormally vigorous immune responses Different types… Acute hypersensitivity Pathogen & resulting antibodies cause release of histamine… Which causes small blood vessels to become dilated and leaky Symptoms include runny nose, watery eyes, itching, reddened skin (hives), bronchial constriction (asthma) Antihistamine drugs can reverse effects

Immune System Diseases - Allergies Anaphylactic Shock Allergen directly enters the blood and circulates rapidly throughout the body Examples: Bee stings, spider bites, drug injections Dilated & leaky blood vessels throughout body can be life-threatening The drug Epinephrine can reverse effects (Epipen for people with history of severe allergic reaction)

Immune System Diseases Immunodeficiencies Production or function of immune cells is abnormal May be congenital or acquired Examples include…

Immune System Diseases - Immunodeficiencies Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Syndrome (SCIDS) Deficit of both B and T cells Have no immune response “Bubble Boy” Disease Some success with bone marrow transplants

For twelve years David Vetter, born with combined immune deficiency, lived inside this plastic bubble at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, Texas, waiting for a cure to the disease that kept him prisoner.

Immune System Diseases - Immunodeficiencies Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) The virus (Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV) destroys Helper T Cells & Macrophages Cell-mediated immunity is reduced Virus then begins to multiply in lymph nodes – which takes longer in some than in others

Immune System Diseases - Immunodeficiencies A patient is diagnosed with AIDS when the lymph nodes are destroyed & symptoms begin Symptoms include severe weight loss, night sweats, swollen lymph nodes, and increasingly frequent infections (gastrointestinal, pneumonia) Some of the drugs that are used to help act by inhibiting the enzymes the HIV virus needs in order to multiply, or helps to boost number of Helper T Cells THERE IS NO CURE OR VACCINE.

Immune System Diseases - Immunodeficiencies Facts: 33.2 million worldwide have AIDS; 2.5 million are children under age 15 1.9 million died of AIDS in 2010; 330,000 were children under age 15 Sub-Sahara Africa contains 68% of the AIDS population The median survival time after infection with HIV is estimated to be 9 to 11 years, depending on the HIV subtype

Immune System Diseases Autoimmune Diseases The immune system does not distinguish between self and non-self The body produces antibodies and T Cells that attack its own tissues Examples Include…

Immune System Diseases - Autoimmune Diseases Multiple sclerosis: myelin sheaths in the white matter of brain & spinal cord are destroyed Causing muscle and neural deterioration, psychological issues, vision problems, chronic pain Type 1 diabetes: destroys pancreatic beta cells that produce insulin (insulin is needed to get glucose into cells) Causing abnormal fluctuations in blood glucose levels (both too high and too low) Can lead to seizures, comas, ketoacidosis, organ injury/death (eyes, kidneys,etc).

Rheumatoid arthritis: systemic inflammatory disorder destroys joints (inflammation of covering around synovial joints) and can damage cartilage as well Lupus (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus): systemic inflammatory disorder can affect kidney, heart, lung, blood vessels, nervous system, skin