Part II. PATHOLOGY OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

The immune system is involved in pathological processes. There are five types of conditions.

I. Immune system is healthy and fully competent.

II. Primary immunodeficiencies are the genetic defects of the immune system cells such as:

► Syndromes with antibody deficiency;

► Syndromes with T-lymphocyte deficiency;

► Combined T- and B-deficiencies;

► Syndromes with deficient complement components;

► Syndromes with defective NK-cells;

► Syndromes with defective phagocytes;

► Syndromes with defective adhesion molecules.

III. Secondary immunodeficiencies are the dysfunctions of the immune system caused by severe systemic pathogenic effects on the organism, namely:

1. Factors causing reversible dysfunctions (immunodeficiency) of the immune system (in this case reversibility is conditional and depends on magnitude and duration of pathogen-mediated effects):

► malnutrition (extreme starvation and deficiency of vitally important components in the diet);

► curable metabolic diseases (diabetes mellitus, Cushing's syndrome,

► dysfunction of parathyroid glands, etc.);

► depression;

► severe burns;

► stress or emotional crisis of any nature.

2. Factors that provoke total or partial elimination of lymphoid tissue and cause consequent irreversible immunodeficiency:

► HIV-infection;

► injury of the immune system by other infections (hyperstimulation of the immune system by superantigens in viral, fungal, bacterial infections,

and by other mechanisms) namely: measles, hepatitis, CytoMegaloVirus (CMV) infections, rubella, Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) infection, staphy-lococcal infections, tuberculosis, leprosy, coccidioidomycosis, aspergil-losis, etc.;

► ionizing radiation;

► lymphotoxic chemical substances;