immune disorders
Overview of Immunodeficiency Disorders
Treatment of Immunodeficiency Disorders
General measures and certain vaccines to prevent infections Antibiotics and antivirals when needed Sometimes immune globulin Sometimes stem cell transplantation Treatment of immunodeficiency disorders usually involves preventing infections, treating infections when they occur, and replacing parts of the immune system that are missing when possible. With appropriate treatment, many people with an immunodeficiency disorder have a normal life span. However, some require intensive and frequent treatments throughout life. Others, such as those with severe combined immunodeficiency, die during infancy unless they are given a Stem Cell Transplantation . Strategies for preventing and treating infections depend on the type of immunodeficiency disorder. For example, people who have an immunodeficiency disorder due to a deficiency of antibodies are at risk of bacterial infections. The following can help reduce the risk: Practicing good personal hygiene (including conscientious dental care) Not eating undercooked food Not drinking water that may be contaminated Avoiding contact with people who have infections Being treated periodically with immune globulin (antibodies obtained from the blood of people with a normal immune system) given intravenously or under the skin Overview of Immunization None Generally, vaccines that contain live but weakened organisms (viruses or bacteria) are not given to people who have a B- or T-cell abnormality because these vaccines may cause an infection in such people. These vaccines include rotavirus vaccines, measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, chickenpox (varicella) vaccine, one type of varicella-zoster (shingles) vaccine, bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, influenza vaccine given as a nasal spray, and oral poliovirus vaccine. The oral poliovirus vaccine is no longer used in the United States but is used in some other parts of the world. Overview of Antibiotics None Antiviral drugs None Immune globulincan effectively replace missing antibodies (immunoglobulins) in people with an immunodeficiency that affects antibody production by B cells. Immune globulin may be injected into a vein (intravenously) once a month or under the skin (subcutaneously) once a week or once a month. Subcutaneous immune globulin can be given at home, often by the person with the disorder. Stem Cell Transplantation None Transplantation of thymus tissueis sometimes helpful. along with transplantation, is an intervention with the potential to cure genetic disease. In gene therapy, a normal gene is inserted into someone's cells to correct a genetic abnormality causing a disorder. Gene therapy has been used successfully in various primary immunodeficiency disorders such as Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) , 