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Medical Forum / General / General / August 2007

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Immunodeficiency?

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Kumar - 11 Aug 2007 10:08 GMT
Hello,

I think when immunodefficiency or immune compromise is talked, It is
not related to first line immune innate mechanisms.

"BARRIERS AND INNATE IMMUNITY

Your immune system includes barriers that keep harmful materials from
entering your body. These barriers -- part of your innate (with you
from birth) immunity -- form the first line of defense in the immune
response. Some of these barriers are the skin, stomach acid, mucus
(which traps bacteria and small particles), the cough reflex, and
enzymes in tears and skin oils. If an antigen gets past the external
barriers, it is attacked and destroyed by other parts of the immune
system.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000821.htm "

Any disorder in these should also be important. Can you tell me that
Can immuno-defficiency/compromise be also related in some disorders in
above first line defence responses and how these are attended for the
consideration of immune responses defects?

Best wishes.
SanHolo - 12 Aug 2007 12:18 GMT
If anybody talks about immunodeficiency, in most cases it's someone
who's acquired HIV, a patient during chemotherapy or someone who has
to use immunosuppressive medication (after a transplantation,
rheumatic disorders, autoimmune diseases, ...).

If the first line defense is compromised, the immune system itself
(cells of the immune system) is not necessarily compromised, but
you're right, one is more susceptible to infections. And someone who
already is immunodeficient is in much greater danger, e. g. when he
burns his skin.

I hope this helps.

> Hello,
>
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
>
> Best wishes.
Kumar - 12 Aug 2007 16:58 GMT
> If anybody talks about immunodeficiency, in most cases it's someone
> who's acquired HIV, a patient during chemotherapy or someone who has
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>
> I hope this helps.

Thanks but why disorders in first line defence, inherited or acquired,
are not commoly considered as defects in immune system? Though these
are considered as non-adaptive but don't we see chronic and inherited
instabilities or imbalances in these first line defecnce?

> > Hello,
>
[quoted text clipped - 22 lines]
>
> - Show quoted text -
SanHolo - 12 Aug 2007 21:16 GMT
> Thanks but why disorders in first line defence, inherited or acquired,
> are not commoly considered as defects in immune system? Though these
> are considered as non-adaptive but don't we see chronic and inherited
> instabilities or imbalances in these first line defecnce?

No, you don't call these immunodeficiency. It's not primarily a
deficiency of the cells of the immune system. You'd have to call a
scratch on your skin or a peptic ulcer an immune defect then, which
would not be appropriate.
Kumar - 13 Aug 2007 15:32 GMT
> > Thanks but why disorders in first line defence, inherited or acquired,
> > are not commoly considered as defects in immune system? Though these
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> scratch on your skin or a peptic ulcer an immune defect then, which
> would not be appropriate.

Whether first line defence is not a part or component of immune
defence?

One is likely to get more disorders/infections, if his first line
defence is disordered, inherited or acquired.
Bryan Heit - 13 Aug 2007 18:44 GMT
<snip>
> Thanks but why disorders in first line defence, inherited or acquired,
> are not commoly considered as defects in immune system? Though these
> are considered as non-adaptive but don't we see chronic and inherited
> instabilities or imbalances in these first line defecnce?

Generally speaking, defects in barrier structures (i.e. skin) are not
considered to be immunological, as these structures are not considered
to be immune organs.  The reason for this is simple - the primary
function of most of these structures is not immunity; rather, their
immune function is simply a product of their primary function.  For
example, the skin protects the underlying tissues from mechanical
damage, UV radiation, dehydration, chemical exposure, etc.  It's ability
to minimize pathogen entry is simply a product of the underlying
structure that allows the skin to do all of these same things.

The same things can be said of the other tissues which act via barrier
function - the lungs (main role = O2/CO2 exchange), the digestive tract
(main role = nutrient absorption), etc.

Also, because of the important functions these tissues have, the number
of genetic defects in them are very small.  Even small changes in lung
morphology, or skin structure, etc, can profoundly - and usually fatally
- effect the patient.  In the diseases where we do see defects in the
function of these barriers, defects in immunity are often only a "side
effect" compared to the main problems which arise.

Bryan
Kumar - 14 Aug 2007 04:11 GMT
> <snip>
>
[quoted text clipped - 25 lines]
>
> Bryan

Thanks, well told. Can't a person inherit or acuire defects in gastric
and other parts pH, mucus consistency and production, thin or thick
skin resulting variations in getting normal immune defence? Btw, appx.
what percentage of immune defence can be related to these first line
defence?
Bryan Heit - 14 Aug 2007 14:39 GMT
>> <snip>
>>
[quoted text clipped - 28 lines]
> and other parts pH, mucus consistency and production, thin or thick
> skin resulting variations in getting normal immune defence?

Not that I'm aware of, although that is outside of my area of expertise.
 As for "skin thickness", aside from a few diseases where the skin gets
"extra thick" due to growth defects, I am unaware of any diseases like
you describe.  It's also worth mentioning that those diseases where the
skin does get extra thick, no immune benifit is seen.  Rather, skin
infections (ulcerations, mostly) occur, due to the "extra" dead skin
tissue laying about.

> Btw, appx.
> what percentage of immune defence can be related to these first line
> defence?

Few, if any.  I cannot think of any disease which would qualify for
this.  IBD might fit the bill, but in all honesty I don't think we know
if IBD is caused by the immune system, or if it is a product of GI
barrier breakdown.

Most immunologically-based diseases we see these days are caused by one
of two things:

1) Errors in the formation of the cells which comprise our immune system.
2) "Overactive" immune cells that cause autoimmunity.

Bryan
Kumar - 15 Aug 2007 05:23 GMT
> >> <snip>
>
[quoted text clipped - 36 lines]
> infections (ulcerations, mostly) occur, due to the "extra" dead skin
> tissue laying about.
Can't there be a possibility of getting comparatively thin skin?

As far as I feel, any disorder in these first line defence can
aggravate getting diseases and disorders.
> > Btw, appx.
> > what percentage of immune defence can be related to these first line
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> 1) Errors in the formation of the cells which comprise our immune system.
> 2) "Overactive" immune cells that cause autoimmunity.
Btw, can swelled or srinked circulating cells (esp. swelled) or
variations in normal structure of cells encourage immune response
against them resulting autoimmunity?
> Bryan- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
Kumar - 16 Aug 2007 04:10 GMT
To add furthur, these firstline defence can be related to digestion,
absorptions and some other work, which if abnormal may cause
variations in normal immune defence. As such, can you tell about
inhertied and acqired defects in these components of first line
defence?
 
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