Clinical Symposium 5 - What does an Immunologist do?

Question 1

what does immunology involve?

Answer 1

Immunology encompasses clinical and laboratory activity dealing with the study, diagnosis and management of patients with diseases resulting from disordered immunological mechanisms.
Clinical immunologists are doctors who specialise in the care of patients with failure of the immune (defence) system (immunodeficiency) and heightened immune reactivity (allergy and autoimmunity) due to infections, allergic reactions, vasculitis and transplants.

Question 2

What is a typical week for an immunologist?

Answer 2

an outpatient clinic for new and established patients with immunodeficiency or,
a clinic devoted to patients with severe allergy, possibly including desensitisation immunotherapy or,
a joint clinic with rheumatology colleagues for patients with systemic autoimmune, autoinflammatory disease and vasculitis.

Question 3

What are some Allergy-conditions commonly seen in the clinic ?

Answer 3

Aeroallergies (grass/tree pollen, HDM)
Food allergies
Bee/Wasp venom allergies
Idiopathic anaphylaxis
Chronic urticaria
Drug allergies
Desensitisation

Question 4

Primary immunodeficiencies characteristics?

Answer 4

Many different types (genetic diagnosis now increasingly found)
> 400 different genes implicated
Supporting patients needing immunoglobulin replacement

Question 5

Secondary antibody deficiencies characteristics?

Answer 5

Haematological malignancies
Iatrogenic