Anatomy and Physiology

Organs
 Thymus gland
 Bone marrow
 Lymph nodes
 Spleen
 Liver
 Tonsils
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Anatomy and Physiology

Types of Immunity
 Active natural
 Active artificial
 Passive natural
 Passive artificial
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Common Signs and Symptoms

Symptoms varied and related to factors
such as:
 Immunodeficiency - lack of immunity
 Autoimmune - immunity against self
 Isoimmune - immunity against other humans
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Diagnostic Testing
Skin tests
 Desensitization
 Blood count
 Coombs’ test
 ANA, RF

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Hypersensitivity Disorders

Allergies
 Examples - hay fever, asthma
 Common reactions - urticaria and contact
dermatitis
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Hypersensitivity Disorders

Allergies
 Symptoms:
○ Elevated eosinophil count
○ Redness, heat, swelling, itching
○ Runny nose, cough, sneezing, wheezing,
nasal congestion
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Hypersensitivity Disorders

Hay fever
 Reaction in mucous membranes of nose
and upper respiratory tract to an allergen
 Symptoms - sneezing, watery eyes, runny
nose, itching
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Hypersensitivity Disorders

Hay fever
 Causes of seasonal - tree pollen, grasses,
ragweed pollen, agricultural crops
 Causes of nonseasonal - dust mites, pet
dander, food allergies
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Hypersensitivity Disorders

Treatment
 Removal of allergen
 Air-conditioned environment or move to
different climate
 Antihistamines
 Allergy desensitization
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Hypersensitivity Disorders

Asthma
 Aka bronchial asthma
 Symptoms:
○ Extreme shortness of breath
○ Difficulty breathing
○ Wheezing, anxiety, cough
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Hypersensitivity Disorders

Asthma
 Treatment:
○ Avoidance of causative allergens
○ Desensitization
○ Education
○ Medication
 No cure but can be controlled
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Hypersensitivity Disorders

Anaphylaxis
 Severe allergic response to an allergen
 Common causes - antibiotics, anesthetics,
codeine, insulin, vaccines, foods, pollens,
latex, etc.
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Hypersensitivity Disorders

Anaphylaxis
 May be mild to life threatening
 Symptoms:
○ Itching of throat, tongue, and scalp
○ Edema of face and airways leading to difficulty
breathing
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Hypersensitivity Disorders

Treatment
 Emergency tracheostomy
 Epinephrine
 Corticosteroids
 Antihistamines
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Hypersensitivity Disorders

Food Allergies
 Chocolate and shellfish are common
 Symptoms:
○ Cramping
○ Diarrhea
○ Vomiting
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Contact Dermatitis
Acute or chronic allergic skin reaction
 Causes - cosmetics, laundry products,
plants, jewelry, paint, drugs
 Common example - poison ivy

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Autoimmune Disorders

Rheumatic Fever
 Follows group A strep infection
 Occurs 1 to 4 weeks after strep infection;
onset is either sudden or gradual
 Symptoms: fever, malaise, joint pain
 Accurate diagnosis of strep infections best
preventive measure
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Autoimmune Disorders

Rheumatoid Arthritis
 Abnormal antibody that attacks or attaches
to body’s own cells and tissues
 Antibody called rheumatoid factor (RF) in
blood is indicative of disease
 Classic sign is ulnar deviation
 Progressive disease
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Autoimmune Disorders

Rheumatoid Arthritis
 Treatment
○ Anti-inflammatory medications
○ Analgesics
○ Exercise and rest routine
○ Corticosteroids short term
○ Surgical joint replacement
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Autoimmune Disorders

Myasthenia Gravis
 Onset is slow
 Symptoms
○ Diplopia
○ Ptosis
○ Dysphagia
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Autoimmune Disorders

Myasthenia Gravis
 Symptoms
○ Dysphonia
○ Difficulty with facial expressions
○ Fatigue
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Autoimmune Disorders

Myasthenia Gravis
 Periods of remission and exacerbation
 Treatment
○ Mestinon
○ Plasma exchange
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Autoimmune Disorders

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
 Formerly known as insulin-dependent
diabetes mellitus
 Alters carbohydrate or sugar metabolism
 Triggered by viral infections such as rubella,
mumps, and influenza
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Lupus Erythematosus
Two types - cutaneous (discoid) and
systemic (diffuse)
 Cutaneous is limited to the skin
 Systemic affects multiple systems
 Symptoms of SLE:

 Butterfly rash, joint pain, fever, weight loss
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Autoimmune Disorders
Systemic Erythematosus
 SLE is chronic with remissions and
exacerbations

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Autoimmune Disorders
Systemic Erythematosus
 Treatment is symptomatic:

 NSAIDS
 Antipyretics
 Analgesics
 Corticosteroids
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Autoimmune Disorder

Scleroderma
 Hardening, thickening, and shrinking of
connective tissues, including the skin
Periods of exacerbation and remission
 Symptoms

 Thick, leather-like shiny taut skin, joint
contractures, Raynaud’s phenomenon
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Testing for Infection

Symptoms
 Fever
 Tachycardia
 Malaise
 Leukocytosis
 Septicemia
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Testing for Infection

Tests
 Culture
 Sensitivity
 Antigen-antibody reactive test
 Serologic testing
 Skin testing
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Autoimmune Disorders
No cure or treatment
 May use antibiotics, immunosuppressive
and anti-inflammatory
 Muscle stretching and strengthening
exercises may be beneficial

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Isoimmune Disorders
Blood Transfusion Reaction
 Type of tissue transplant
 Type O is universal blood donor
 Type AB is the universal recipient
 Symptoms of transfusion

 Chills, shivering, fever
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Isoimmune Disorders

Erythroblastosis Fetalis
 Mother’s antibodies attack and destroy
antigen on baby’s RBCs, ultimately causing
death
 Usually no problem with first baby of Rh
negative mother and Rh positive baby
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Isoimmune Disorders

Erythroblastosis Fetalis
 Condition only affects Rh positive babies
carried by Rh negative mothers
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Isoimmune Disorders

Erythroblastosis Fetalis
 Treatment is transfusion of baby’s blood at
birth
 RhoGAM has halted this condition
 RhoGAM is given prophylactically after
delivery of first fetus
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Organ Rejection
Human immune system attacks
transplanted tissue
 More closely matched donor decreases
chance of rejection
 Acute rejection occurs early
 Chronic rejection occurs over longer
period

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Immune Deficiency Disorders
Inability of immune system to protect
individual against disease
 Congenital, genetic disorder, or acquired
 Causes include:

 Bone marrow suppression from chemotherapy
and radiation
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Immune Deficiency Disorders

Causes include:
 Medications given to organ transplant
recipients
 AIDS
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Immune Deficiency Disorders

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
(AIDS)
 Human immunodeficiency virus
 Eradicates individual’s lymphocytes
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Immune Deficiency Disorders

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
(AIDS)
 Stages:
○ Acute infection
○ Asymptomatic HIV
○ Symptomatic HIV
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Immune Deficiency Disorders

Advanced HIV
 Anti-viral medications such as AZT may slow
HIV replication and disease progress
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Immune Deficiency Disorders

Transmission of AIDS
 Intimate contact and sharing body fluids
 Virus must enter bloodstream to cause
infection
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Immune Deficiency Disorders

Transmission of AIDS
 Misconceptions about transmission:
○ Cannot get from toilet seats, doorknobs,
furniture, water fountains, social kissing,
coughing, or sneezing
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Immune Deficiency Disorders

Three ways AIDS is primarily spread
 Sexual intercourse
 Sharing of hypodermic needles
 In utero from infected mother to unborn baby
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Immune Deficiency Disorders

Rare Diseases
 Severe Combined Immunodeficiency
Disease
 Group of inherited disorders that cause
partial or complete dysfunction of immune
system
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