What are immune system disorders?
Your immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues and organs that work together to defend you against germs. Your immune system helps your body by recognizing germs, then working to keep them out or, if necessary, destroying them. But, if your immune system can’t do its job, the results can be serious. Disorders of the immune system include:
- Allergies and asthma: immune responses to substances that are usually not harmful
- Immune deficiency diseases: disorders in which the immune system is missing one or more of its parts
- Autoimmune diseases: an immune disorder that causes your immune system to attack your own body’s cells and tissues by mistake
What causes immune system disorders?
At this time, the underlying cause of immune system disorders is unknown. They tend to run in families, and women have been known to have higher risk factors, especially women who are of African, Hispanic or Native American descent.
What are the symptoms of immune system disorders?
There are more than 80 types of known immune diseases so it’s difficult to identify if you have one based on symptoms alone. There are also many similar symptoms from one disease to another. For this reason, diagnosing these disorders can be frustrating and stressful for you. Our physicians at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center will take note of symptoms and prescribe certain diagnostic tests.
Early symptoms of an immune system disorder may be:
- Fatigue
- Muscle aches
- Low-grade fever
- Inflammation, which may cause redness, heat, pain and swelling
These diseases may also have flare-ups where symptoms get worse, and remissions, where symptoms get better or disappear.
How does Ohio State treat immune system disorders?
Treatment depends on the disease, but in most cases, one important goal is to reduce inflammation. Sometimes doctors prescribe corticosteroids or other drugs that reduce your immune response.
Immune System Disorders
Eosinophils are a type of white blood cell. They help fight off infections and play a role in your body's immune response. They can also build up and cause inflammation.
Normally your blood doesn't have a large number of eosinophils. Your body may produce more of them in response to:
- Allergic disorders
- Skin conditions
- Parasitic and fungal infections
- Autoimmune diseases
- Some cancers
- Bone marrow disorders
In some conditions, the eosinophils can move outside the bloodstream and build up in organs and tissues. This can happen in many different parts of the body, including the esophagus, heart, lungs, blood and intestines. Treatment of eosinophilic disorders can vary, depending on the cause and which part of the body is affected. Steroids are often part of the treatment.
Hereditary angioedema is a disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of severe swelling (angioedema). The most common areas of the body to develop swelling are the limbs, face, intestinal tract, and airway. Minor trauma or stress may trigger an attack, but swelling often occurs without a known trigger. Episodes involving the intestinal tract cause severe abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Swelling in the airway can restrict breathing and lead to life-threatening obstruction of the airway. About one-third of people with this condition develop a non-itchy rash called erythema marginatum during an attack.
Symptoms of hereditary angioedema typically begin in childhood and worsen during puberty. On average, untreated individuals have an attack every one to two weeks, and most episodes last for about three to four days. The frequency and duration of attacks vary greatly among people with hereditary angioedema, even among people in the same family.
Primary immune deficiency diseases (PIDDs) are rare, genetic disorders that impair the immune system. Without a functional immune response, people with PIDDs may be subject to chronic, debilitating infections, such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which can increase the risk of developing cancer. Some PIDDs can be fatal. PIDDs may be diagnosed in infancy, childhood, or adulthood, depending on disease severity.