Immunodeficiency Disease Flashcards
1
Q
Define immunodeficiency
A
- immune response is absent or depressed
2
Q
Define primary immunodeficiency diseases
A
- congenital
- dysfunction involving T cells, B cells, or lymphoid tissues
3
Q
Define secondary immunodeficiency diseases
A
- acquired
- result from an underlying disease or factor that depresses the immune response
- multiple, diverse, & nonspecific defects in immune responses due to infections, metabolic disease, cancer or treatment
4
Q
Define Iatrogenic immunodeficiency
A
- caused by medical treatment
5
Q
Describe cytotoxic drugs
A
- kill immunocompetent cells while replicating (chemotherapy)
6
Q
Describe corticosteroids
A
- affect T cells in bone marrow & block tissue infiltration of neutrophils
7
Q
Describe radiation therapy
A
- cytotoxic to most lymphocytes, total lymph node irradiation
8
Q
Define splenectomy
A
- removal of the spleen
- spleen is an immune organ
9
Q
What are some consequences of a weakened immune system
A
- increased risk for infections
- normal defense mechanisms may be affected (respiratory & GI)
10
Q
Define human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
A
- infection of the immune system, resulting in progressive & ultimately profound suppression
11
Q
Describe acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)
A
- advanced HIV
- progressive destruction of cell-mediated immunity by destruction of T4 lymphocytes & changes in humoral immunity
- affects autoimmunity due to central role of the CD4+ T lymphocyte in immune reactions
- individual is susceptible to infections, cancers, & TB
12
Q
What are the 4 distinct points of HIV infection
A
- acute infection
- asymptomatic HIV seropositive
- early symptomatic HIV
- HIV advanced disease (AIDS)
13
Q
How is HIV transmitted
A
- transfer of body fluids containing infected cells (blood or semen)
- high risk behaviors
- unprotected sex
- non sterile needles
- not transmitted via shared or social contacts
- viral load impacts transmission of HIV
14
Q
Pathogenesis of HIV
A
- HIV enters the body impacting T cells & thus immune response
- HIV vision (virus attached to the host cell) injects core proteins & 2 strands of viral RNA into the cell
- reverse transcriptase = copying of HIV RNA
- replication of the virus leads to cell death
- seroconversion (becoming positive for HIV) = begins 3 to 6 weeks after infection but may take 6 months to complete
- after seroconversion, less virus is in the blood, HIV antibodies are now detected in serum
- symptomatic HIV begins
- AIDS occurs when CD4 cells decline to less than 200 cells/mm^3
15
Q
How does stage 1 acute infection of HIV present
A
- 1-6 weeks after exposure
- viral load is high & antibody test is negative
- flu-like symptoms & lymphadenopathy