Immune system disorders, also called autoimmune disorders, arise from abnormal activity in the immune system. There is either too little or too much activity in the immune system. When there is too little activity, the body becomes vulnerable to infections. When there is too much activity, the body attacks its own tissues and organs, causing damage.
If you suspect you have an immune disorder, your doctor will ask about your various illnesses to see if there is a pattern of an abnormal immune response, ask about any relatives diagnosed with an inherited immune disorder, and conduct a physical examination. Other ways doctors diagnose autoimmune diseases include blood tests, DNA tests, and prenatal tests.
3 treatments to boost the immune system
- Antibody drug discovery – New research technologies have led to antibody discovery. This is the scientific process of discovering and developing drugs that generate therapeutic antibodies to combat serious or life-threatening diseases. These drugs, for instance, have been shown to help treat HIV, cancer, autoimmune and hereditary disorders.
- Stem cell transplantation – It’s possible to donate stem cells to someone with an immunodeficiency. Usually, the donor is a close relative, often a parent, because the donor’s tissues must be a close biological match to the recipient’s tissues. Scientists can also harvest normal stem cells through cord blood banking, getting them from the placenta at the time of birth. In addition, they can get stem cells from bone marrow. However, even a close biological match is no guarantee that the stem cell transplant will work because the recipient’s functioning immune cells may reject the new stem cells.To reduce resistance, doctors may resort to radiation or chemotherapy to destroy the recipient’s existing white blood cells. This is a dangerous procedure because the recipient will have no protection against infection before scientists can transplant the new immune stem cells. The good news is that, if the stem cell transplantation is successful, the recipient never has to have stem cell transplantation again. The cure is permanent. Scientists can use stem cell transplantation for many types of immunodeficiency disorders.
- Interferon-gamma therapy – Interferon-gamma is a synthetic substance that stimulates immune cells and that fights viruses and bacteria. A patient can receive an interferon-gamma injection three times a week.
Reduce the risk of infections
If you have an immune disorder, you must manage infections quickly to avoid the spread of bacteria or viruses.
You can treat infections with a course of antibiotics, courses that are usually longer than normally prescribed. If your body does not respond well, then hospitalisation is necessary because you will need intravenous antibiotics. It’s also important to get immediate help if you have any respiratory infections–because if you don’t get long-term antibiotic treatments, the infection could permanently damage your ears and lungs.
If you have a wound, dress the wound using Gold Dust Hydrophilic Polymer Powder to protect the tissue inside and around the wound. This precaution will prevent maceration and degradation.
Another thing to keep in mind is to avoid vaccines that contain viruses. For instance, a child with immunodeficiency should not have oral polio or measles vaccines as these contain a low dose of viruses.
You can reduce the symptoms of infections through OTC medications like Motrin IB, Advil, and other medications for pain and fever. In addition, you can reduce sinus congestion with decongestants and mucus buildup in air passages with expectorants.
Medical science uses two primary methods to treat someone with an immune system disorder. One method is to boost the immune system through the use of an antibody-drug, stem cell transplant, or interferon-gamma injections. The other method is to beat infections by treating them quickly as soon as they occur.
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Image credit: Freepik
Peter Wallace has been an advocate for mental health awareness for years. He holds a master’s degree in counselling from the University of Edinburgh.
