Immunosuppression 168944 218412443 2008-06-10T15:13:23Z Vishnava 6847159 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/205.160.166.14|205.160.166.14]] to last version by 76.122.113.102 (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]]) '''Immunosuppression''' involves an act that reduces the activation or [[efficacy]] of the [[immune system]]. Some portions of the immune system itself have immuno-suppressive effects on other parts of the immune system, and immunosuppression may occur as an adverse reaction to treatment of other conditions. Deliberately induced immunosuppression is generally done to prevent the body from [[Transplant rejection|rejecting]] an [[organ transplant]], treating [[graft-versus-host disease]] after a [[bone marrow transplant]], or for the treatment of [[auto-immune disease]]s such as [[rheumatoid arthritis]] or [[Crohn's disease]]. This is typically done using drugs, but may involve surgery (splenectomy), plasmapharesis, or radiation. A person who is undergoing immunosuppression, or whose immune system is weak for other reasons (for example, [[chemotherapy]] and [[HIV]] patients) is said to be ''immunocompromised''. When an [[organ (anatomy)|organ]] is transplanted, the immune system of the recipient will most likely recognize it as foreign tissue and attack it. The destruction of the organ will, if untreated, end in the death of the recipient. In the past, [[radiation therapy]] was used to decrease the strength of the immune system, but now [[immunosuppressive drug|immunosuppressant drugs]] are used to inhibit the reaction of the immune system. The downside is that with such a deactivated immune system, the body is very vulnerable to [[opportunistic infection]]s, even those usually considered harmless. Also, prolonged use of immunosuppressants increases the risk of [[cancer]]. [[Cortisone]] was the first immunosuppressant identified, but its wide range of side effects limited its use. The more specific [[azathioprine]] was identified in 1959, but it was the discovery of [[ciclosporin|cyclosporine]] in 1970 that allowed for significant expansion of [[kidney transplantation]] to less well-matched donor-recipient pairs as well as broad application of [[liver transplantation]], [[lung transplantation]], [[pancreas transplantation]], and [[heart transplantation]]. Dr. [[Joseph Murray]] of [[Harvard Medical School]] and chief plastic surgeon at [[Children's Hospital Boston]] from 1972-1985 was awarded the [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine]] in 1990 for his work on immunosuppression. Dr. Murray and his team are credited with first successful human kidney transplant at [[Brigham and Women's Hospital|Peter Bent Brigham Hospital]], Boston on 23 December 1954. ==See also== * [[immunosuppressant]] substances ** [[Immunosuppressive drug]] * [[Transplant rejection]] [[Category:Immune system]] [[Category:Immunology]] [[bg:Имуносупресия]] [[de:Immunsuppression]] [[es:Inmunosupresión]] [[fr:Immunosuppression]] [[it:Immunosoppressione]] [[pl:Immunosupresja]] [[pt:Imunosupressão]] [[ru:Иммуносупрессия]] [[uk:Імуносупресія]]