What are the major complications of immunosuppressive therapy?
3. Complications of prolonged immunosuppression post-transplant
- 3.1. Infections.
- 3.2. Viral infections.
- 3.3. Bacterial infections.
- 3.4. Fungal infections.
- 3.5. Malignancies.
- 3.6. Renal dysfunction.
- 3.7. Cardiovascular disease.
- 3.8. Hypertension (review in [53])
What are the long term effects of immunosuppressants?
TABLE 97-3
| System | Long-Term Side Effects |
|---|---|
| Endocrine | Diabetes mellitus/glucose intolerance, cushingoid facies, hyperlipidemia, growth retardation, menstrual irregularities, hirsutism, weight gain—increased appetite, adrenal gland hormone suppression |
| Infectious | Increased risk for infections, including fungal |
How do immunosuppressants affect the body?
Immunosuppressants hold back the immune system, helping to prevent cell damage and inflammation. These drugs minimize symptoms. They can even put an autoimmune disease into remission (you have no signs of the disease).
What does immunosuppressive therapy do?
Treatment that lowers the activity of the body’s immune system. This reduces its ability to fight infections and other diseases, such as cancer. Immunosuppressive therapy may be used to keep a person from rejecting a bone marrow or organ transplant.
What is the safest immunosuppressant?
Mycophenolate mofetil: A safe and promising immunosuppressant in neuromuscular diseases.
What is the strongest immunosuppressant?
Cyclophosphamide (Baxter’s Cytoxan) is probably the most potent immunosuppressive compound. In small doses, it is very efficient in the therapy of systemic lupus erythematosus, autoimmune hemolytic anemias, granulomatosis with polyangiitis, and other immune diseases.
Do immunosuppressants shorten lifespan?
The effect of various immunosuppressive treatments on mean life-span and disease incidence have been studied. Significant life shortening was seen only in mice which recieved X-irradiation early in life and can be ascribed primarily to an increased incidence of certain malignancies.
What conditions are treated using immunosuppressive therapy?
Immunosuppressive therapy conditions treated
- Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis)
- Multiple sclerosis.
- Aplastic anemia.
- Lupus.
- Rheumatoid arthritis.
- Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS)
What are the symptoms of immunosuppression?
Symptoms
- Frequent and recurrent pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus infections, ear infections, meningitis or skin infections.
- Inflammation and infection of internal organs.
- Blood disorders, such as low platelet counts or anemia.
- Digestive problems, such as cramping, loss of appetite, nausea and diarrhea.
