with the goal being to block the body’s rejection of
a transplanted organ or bone marrow and to pre-
vent GRAFT VS. HOST DISEASE. Common immunosup-
pressive medications include
- CORTICOSTEROID MEDICATIONS, which inhibit the
production of eosinophils, suppress the COMPLE-
MENT CASCADE, and block the activation of anti-
bodies - DISEASE-MODIFYING ANTIRHEUMATIC DRUGS
(DMARDS), which block the immune response in
such of a way as to alter, at least temporarily,
the course of the disease - cytotoxic agents, which kill cells (cells that
replicate rapidly, such as BLOODcells, are more
greatly affected)
Doctors prescribe immunosuppressive medica-
tions to treat AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS, HYPERSENSITIV-
ITY REACTION, and to prevent an immune response
that targets a transplanted organ. Often doctors
prescribe these medications in combination to
quell the immune response on several fronts. This
allows lower dosages for each type of medication,
reducing the overall amount of medication the
person must take and minimizing side effects. The
approach also provides greater relief in severe pre-
sentations of chronic inflammatory diseases such
asRHEUMATOID ARTHRITISandSYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHE-
MATOSUS(SLE).
Immunosuppressive medications have numer-
ous side effects, DRUGinteractions, and risks spe-
cific to the medication. In general, the primary
risk of immunosuppressive medications is INFEC-
TION, particularly OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTION. Though
doctors try to maintain a balance of immune sup-
pression that controls symptoms yet allows the
body to protect itself from infection, IMMUNOSUP-
PRESSIVE THERAPYopens the gateway for pathogens
to invade. Aggressive antibiotic therapy then
becomes necessary to eradicate the infection.
See also ANTIBIOTIC MEDICATIONS; ANTIHISTAMINE
MEDICATIONS; CHEMOTHERAPY; DRUG INTERACTION;LIV-
ING WITH IMMUNE DISORDERS; ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION;
PATHOGEN.
immunosuppressive therapy Treatments that
limit or suppress the IMMUNE RESPONSE. Such treat-
ment may incorporate IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE MEDICA-
TIONSsuch as CORTICOSTEROID MEDICATIONS, DISEASE-
MODIFYING ANTI-RHEUMATIC DRUGS (DMARDS),
CHEMOTHERAPY, RADIATION THERAPY, andMONOCLONAL
ANTIBODIES(MABS).
Doctors may prescribe short-term immunosup-
pressive therapy (two to six weeks) to treat mod-
erate to severe type I HYPERSENSITIVITY REACTIONor
to reduce INFLAMMATIONdue to injury. Long-term
immunosuppressive therapy is generally a treat-
ment option for chronic AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS
such as SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS(SLE) and
RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. People who have had organ
transplants must take lifelong immunosuppressive
therapy to reduce the risk for organ rejection and
GRAFT VS. HOST DISEASE. The risk for complications
and side effects rises the longer a person is on
immunosuppressive therapy.
Immunoablation (the administration of high-
DOSEchemotherapy or radiation therapy) wipes
out the immune response altogether by killing the
BONE MARROW, which removes all leukocytes and
their subtypes from the IMMUNE SYSTEM’s resource
arsenal. This form of immunosuppressive therapy
prepares the body to receive BONE MARROW TRANS-
PLANTATION or STEM CELL transplantation, which
then rebuilds the immune system from the mar-
row up.
See also COMPLEMENT CASCADE; LEUKOCYTE; LIVING
WITH IMMUNE DISORDERS; ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION;
PROSTAGLANDINS.immunotherapy The therapeutic use of biologic
agents to manipulate the mechanisms of the
IMMUNE SYSTEM. Immunotherapy, also called bio-
logic response modification, is an effective method
for reducing INFLAMMATIONand other aspects of the
IMMUNE RESPONSE to treat inflammatory AUTOIM-
MUNE DISORDERS such as RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS.
Immunotherapy is also a treatment option for
many forms of cancer. The common types of
immunotherapy are- CYTOKINESsuch as INTERLEUKINSand INTERFERONS,
which boost the cytotoxic (cell-killing) actions
of T-cell lymphocytes and natural killer (NK)
cells - COLONY-STIMULATING FACTORS(CSFS), which stimu-
late the growth of leukocytes and lymphocytes
(white BLOODcells) in the BONE MARROW
276 The Immune System and Allergies