Archive for the ‘Immune Diseases’ Category

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The immune system is our safety net from germs and viruses. This complex defense system is designed to keep us alive. If we didn't have an immune system we would quickly die from the overabundance of bacteria and viruses which would completely take over the human body. The majority of our immune system is located within the digestive tract. People who suffer from poor digestion or other digestive disorders are often hit the hardest when they encounter a foreign organism. Our immune function comes from a combination of tissues, organs, proteins and vital cells.

There are a variety of autoimmune diseases that weaken the immune system. An autoimmune disease is the result of the body attacking itself. Some cells within the body become hyperactive and don't function as they should. The most common autoimmune diseases are rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and Chron's disease. Doctors are not sure what actually causes autoimmune diseases, but it is thought that environmental and hereditary factors play a role.

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that affects how the body uses food for energy due to insulin resistance. Diabetes affects the metabolism as well as the immune system. The disease causes the immune system to destroy insulin producing cells within the pancreas. The immune response is also much lower in people who have diabetes so they are more susceptible to getting infections that could result in the loss of a limb.

AIDS, also known as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, is one of the most common diseases that affect the immune system. This horrible disease makes the body's defenses weaker over time. Before AIDs takes full effect, a person will first have HIV, which is the start of the progressively devastating disease. People who have the disease may even die from infectious viruses rather than the disease itself, because of their severely weak immune function. Most people know that HIV is transmitted by having unprotected sex or coming in contact with infected blood.

Hepatitis C is a virus that attacks the liver cells. The virus will rapidly multiply within the liver, causing inflammation and damage. Hepatitis C affects the immune system, causing serious liver damage leading to scarring of the liver. The virus causes the immune system to break down, making the affected person more susceptible to other infectious diseases.

Kidneys filter the blood of impurities, toxins and excess vitamins. When the kidneys are not functioning properly due to kidney disease, more toxins circulate within the blood. The excess toxins affect the immune system, making a person more tired and sluggish. A person with kidney disease will become sick more often because the immune system is weakened.

List of Immune Diseases. Immune system diseases are usually referred to as autoimmune disorders. ... Diseases That Affect the Immune System.

Lupus is an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack healthy cells and ... Lupus is a disorder of the...

Diseases That Affect the Immune System; How to Clean Your Lymph System; How to Strengthen a Lymphatic System; You May Also Like....

Does Sugar Affect the Immune System?. Part of the series: Nutrition & Diets. ... Why Does Obesity Lead to Diabetes? How Does...

... including borrelia burgdorferi. Years of immune system response can damage the kidneys. ... What are the Long-Lasting Affects & Symptoms of...

For patients with a low immune system, physicians will sometimes prescribe immune-boosting medicines such as interferon, ... Disorders That Attack the Immune...

Diseases That Affect the Immune System. The immune system is our safety net from germs and viruses. This complex defense system is...

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Diseases That Affect the Immune System | eHow

An immune disorder is a dysfunction of the immune system. These disorders can be characterized in several different ways:

According to the International Union of Immunological Societies, more than 150 primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs) have been characterized.[1] However, the number of acquired immunodeficiencies exceeds the number of PIDs.[2]

It has been suggested that most people have at least one primary immunodeficiency.[3] Due to redundancies in the immune system, though, many of these are never detected.

Primary immune deficiency diseases are those caused by inherited genetic mutations. Secondary or acquired immune deficiencies are caused by something outside the body such as a virus or immune suppressing drugs.[4]

Primary immune diseases are at risk to an increased susceptibility to, and often recurrent ear infections, pneumonia, bronchitis, sinusitis or skin infections. Immunodeficient patients may less frequently develop abscesses of their internal organs, autoimmune or rheumatologic and gastrointestinal problems.[5]

An allergy is an abnormal immune reaction to a harmless antigen.

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Immune disorder - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Researchers may have found a way to switch off auto-immune diseases
British researchers were able to target the aggressive immune system cells that attack healthy tissue and convert them into cells that could protect against ...

By: CBSNews.com Web Extras

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Researchers may have found a way to switch off auto-immune diseases - Video

Sheryl Ubelacker, The Canadian Press Published Tuesday, August 26, 2014 6:45AM EDT

TORONTO -- Canadian doctors have begun using stem cell transplants to treat "stiff person syndrome," a rare neurological condition in which a patient's leg and other muscles suddenly contract painfully, often leaving them immobilized like a tin soldier.

The disorder, which affects an estimated one in a million people, occurs when the immune system turns against a person's own tissues, in this case attacking cells in the brain and spinal cord.

Stem cell transplants have been used to treat patients with other auto-immune diseases, among them multiple sclerosis, scleroderma and Crohn's disease, but this may be the first time the procedure has been employed to alleviate the symptoms of stiff person syndrome, or SPS, the researchers reported Monday in the journal JAMA Neurology.

SPS is characterized by episodes of stiffness in the muscles and painful muscle spasms, which can be brought on by stress, loud noises or emotional distress. Some people with the disorder are so disabled they are unable to walk or move and may isolate themselves at home to avoid triggering an attack.

"Sometimes this happens when they're startled," said Dr. Harry Atkins of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at the Ottawa Hospital, who headed a team that transplanted stem cells into two women with the disease.

"So you can imagine walking across the street and someone honks the horn and you can't move, or you start falling and because your muscles can't move, you just fall and you hurt yourself," Atkins said Monday from Ottawa.

"It really does provide a barrier with just going on with your life."

Tina Ceroni of Toronto is one of the two SPS patients who had the stem-cell transplant -- and she said it has given back her life.

The personal fitness trainer, now 36, started getting severe symptoms in her late 20s. Initially she was diagnosed with hyponatremia, or low blood sodium, thought to be related to her heavy training schedule for a half-ironman competition.

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Canadian doctors use stem cells to treat 'stiff person syndrome'

About a stem cell transplant for auto immune diseases (HSCT)
All about a stem cell transplant for crohns and auto immune diseases such as RA, IBD, Arthitis, Crohn #39;s, MS, and others. (HSCT) Done by Doctor Richard Burt o...

By: jocelynprenee

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About a stem cell transplant for auto immune diseases (HSCT) - Video