RT Book, Section
A1 Levinson, Warren
A1 Chin-Hong, Peter
A1 Joyce, Elizabeth A.
A1 Nussbaum, Jesse
A1 Schwartz, Brian
SR Print(0)
ID 1190865124
T1 Immunodeficiency
T2 Review of Medical Microbiology & Immunology: A Guide to Clinical Infectious Diseases, 17e
YR 2022
FD 2022
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9781264267088
LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1190865124
RD 2024/04/24
AB Immunodeficiency  can  occur  in  any  of  the  four  major  components  of  the  immune  system:  (1)  B  cells  (antibody),  (2)  T  cells,  (3)  complement,  and  (4)  phagocytes.  In  a  patient  with  a  history  of  infections  that  are  unusually  frequent,  unusually  severe,  or  caused  by  unusual  organisms,  the  pattern  of  these  infections  can  indicate  which  component(s)  of  the  immune  system  might  be  defective.  Most  immunodeficiencies  are  acquired,  and  these  are  frequently  caused  by  immunosuppressive  medications  or  diseases  that  suppress  immunity,  such  as  HIV/AIDS.  Although  they  are  less  common,  congenital  immunodeficiencies  (Table  68–1)  are  important  to  understand  because  (1)  the  patterns  of  infections  that  are  seen  teach  us  how  various  immune  components  are  supposed  to  function  normally,  and  (2)  recent  technological  advances  have  allowed  us  to  better  diagnose  and  treat  these  diseases,  preventing  the  infectious  complications.