Immune system suppressant

Immunosuppression
Micrograph showing an opportunistic infection due to immunosuppression - large (blue) cell below-center-left infected with a polyomavirus. Urine cytology specimen.
ICD-10-PCS	D89.9
MeSH	D007165
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Immunosuppression is a reduction of the activation or efficacy of the immune system. Some portions of the immune system itself have immunosuppressive effects on other parts of the immune system, and immunosuppression may occur as an adverse reaction to treatment of other conditions.

In general, deliberately induced immunosuppression is performed to prevent the body from rejecting an organ transplant, Additionally this is used for treating graft-versus-host disease after a bone marrow transplant, or for the treatment of auto-immune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren's syndrome, or Crohn's disease. This is typically done using medications, but may involve surgery (splenectomy), plasmapheresis, or radiation. A person who is undergoing immunosuppression, or whose immune system is weak for some other reasons ( chemotherapy or HIV), is said to be immunocompromised.

Administration of immunosuppressive medications or immunosuppressants is the main method of deliberately induced immunosuppression, in optimal circumstances, immunosuppressive drugs are targeted only at any hyperactive component of the immune system People with previous cancer who require immunosuppression are not more likely to have a recurrence, throughout its history, radiation therapy has been used to decrease the strength of the immune system. Dr. Joseph Murray of Brigham and Women's Hospital, was given the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1990 for work on immunosuppression.