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The ability of the immune system to respond to pathogens is diminished in both the young and the elderly, with immune responses beginning to decline at around 50 years of age due to immunosenescence. [ 112 ] [ 113 ] In developed countries , obesity , alcoholism , and drug use are common causes of poor immune function, while malnutrition is the ...
An immune response is a physiological reaction which occurs within an organism in the context of inflammation for the purpose of defending against exogenous factors. These include a wide variety of different toxins, viruses, intra- and extracellular bacteria, protozoa, helminths, and fungi which could cause serious problems to the health of the host organism if not cleared from the body.
In immunology, autoimmunity is the system of immune responses of an organism against its own healthy cells, tissues and other normal body constituents. [1] [2] Any disease resulting from this type of immune response is termed an "autoimmune disease".
Viral disease is the sum of the effects of viral replication on the host and the host's subsequent immune response against the virus. [3] Viruses are able to initiate infection, disperse throughout the body, and replicate due to specific virulence factors. [2] There are several factors that affect pathogenesis.
Dendritic cells are named after their structure that resembles that of a dendrite of an axon, and they have two vital functions: display antigens, which are recognized by T cells and alert lymphocytes of the presence of an injury or infection. When the body is introduced to infection or injury, dendritic cells migrate to immune or lymphoid ...
A representation of the cholera epidemic of the 19th century. For thousands of years mankind has been intrigued with the causes of disease and the concept of immunity. The prehistoric view was that disease was caused by supernatural forces, and that illness was a form of theurgic punishment for "bad deeds" or "evil thoughts" visited upon the soul by the gods or by one's enemies. [8]
Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. [4] [7] This initial stage of sepsis is followed by suppression of the immune system. [8] Common signs and symptoms include fever, increased heart rate, increased breathing rate, and confusion. [1]
The term inflammation is not a synonym for infection. Infection describes the interaction between the action of microbial invasion and the reaction of the body's inflammatory response—the two components are considered together in discussion of infection, and the word is used to imply a microbial invasive cause for the observed inflammatory ...