Everyone is exposed to pathogenic bacteria every day. However, thanks to the protective forces, the body is able to repel the attacks of viruses. The immune system protects a person from harmful external influences. How does this happen? What is immunity? What disturbances in the work of this system can be observed in a person, why do they occur and how to deal with them? Answers to these and other questions can be obtained from the material in this article.
Immunology: definition and characterization
So, in the body of everyone, both adults and children, there are certain mechanisms that provide resistance to infections. Thanks to their work, the human body can be protected from the harmful effects of microorganisms that provoke various diseases. Some infections are known to occur in humans only once in a lifetime. This is because the human body produces special cells,which is a defense system that makes these diseases no longer dangerous for him.
The set of mechanisms that provide the body's resistance to pathogens is called immunity. Immunology is a scientific discipline that deals with the study of this phenomenon. It was formed as a result of the fact that humanity needed ways to eliminate diseases caused by microorganisms. After all, infections such as smallpox, plague and rabies claimed the lives of many people, and no one knew how to stop the spread of epidemics and treat the sick.
History of the development of science
Immunology is a branch of medicine that can be considered quite old. There is evidence that the classical science of the immune system dates back to ancient times, when people in India and China were injected with the contents of smallpox to activate the body's natural defense mechanisms and thus protect them from infections. But the general spread of such a phenomenon as vaccination was still far away.
At the end of the eighteenth century, the English physician Edward Jenner made a startling discovery - he developed an inoculation against smallpox. The doctor tested the vaccine on the child, and the boy was not infected. Vaccination has proved to be an effective method of combating such a dangerous infectious disease as smallpox. Despite the unique and productive research conducted by Jenner, the founder of immunology is not considered to be him, but the French physician L. Pasteur. The latter is not onlyformed the basis for the use of vaccines, but also successfully implemented them. However, Pasteur had no idea about the laws of the functioning of the human immune system. The principles of defense mechanisms were revealed in the later stages of immunology.
Further development of science
At the end of the nineteenth century, a physician from Germany, E. Behring, proved that those who had had diseases such as diphtheria and tetanus infection formed special substances in the body that provided resistance to microorganisms. And those who are transfused with the blood of those who have been ill also develop immunity. Thus, some pathologies can be combated by blood transfusion.
At the same time, the Russian scientist I. Mechnikov created a theory about phagocytes. He argued that in the human body there are cells that provide protection from the harmful effects of microorganisms. Another scientist, P. Ehrlich, said that antibodies have special characteristics, and their different types are able to fight different types of bacteria and viruses. Since the thirties of the twentieth century, the chemical properties of such cells have been actively studied by several specialists. The study of the characteristics of antibodies has become a new stage in the development of immunology. The study of the protective forces of the human body is still ongoing. Six years ago, French physician J. Hoffmann was awarded the Nobel Prize. He is the author of a research paper on the development of innate immunity.
Subject and sections of scientific discipline
So what does immunology study?Scientists working on the problems of this branch of medicine are considering the following issues:
- Structure and components of human immunity.
- Ways to form defense mechanisms.
- The laws that the immune system obeys.
- Disturbances in the functioning of defense mechanisms in the human body.
- Ways to solve various problems with the immune system.
- Remove the hassle of organ transplants.
It is known that there are several branches of immunology. This is a general (theoretical) and private science. The last section deals with the treatment of diseases associated with disorders of the immune system. In addition, private immunology identifies the causes of problems with resistance to infectious diseases in children, and also develops ways to strengthen the defenses of the child's body.
It is known that many pathologies occur as a result of impaired functioning of the immune system. If it does not work effectively enough, people develop diseases that are called immunodeficiency. In cases where the body's defenses are too active, allergic reactions appear.
Problems of immunology
This scientific discipline works in the following directions:
- Research on the defense mechanisms of people without immune system diseases.
- Revealing the importance of immunity in the development of infections and other pathologies (for example, cancerous tumors).
- Assessment of the state of the immune system.
- Creation and application in practice of innovative means to combat violations of the functioning of protective mechanisms.
Today, immunology is a scientific discipline that is looking for answers to such pressing questions:
- T cell death in AIDS: can vaccination help?
- Does it make sense to study the role of the immune system in fighting cancer?
- How do defense cells work?
- Is it possible to fight immune system disorders with the help of genetic engineering?
Research in the field of immunology in Russia
Today, there are many institutions that study the problems associated with the functioning of the protective mechanisms of the human body. One such organization is the Institute of Immunology, which is located in the capital of the Russian Federation. Date of establishment of the institution - 1983. R. V. Petrov is considered the founder of the organization. The Institute of Immunology was formed on the basis of the unit where research was carried out in this scientific field. The works of scientists working in this organization were considered innovative in Russia, as they became a powerful incentive for improving scientific methods in this area.
Institute activities
This organization aims to solve the following tasks:
- Implementation of research in the field of immunology, the creation and application of innovative projects in this area.
- Training of specialists.
- Joint researchactivities involving other organizations, exchange of experience.
In addition, the institute is engaged not only in theoretical and research work, but also in consultations on the problems of the functioning of the immune system, examination and therapy of persons with various diseases in this area. But this organization is only one of many in Moscow, where the immunologist receives. Specialists of this profile work in such clinics as "Trustmed", "K-Medicine", "He Clinic", "Miracle Doctor" and so on.
Formation of defense mechanisms
Fundamentals of immunology are aimed at studying how a system is formed that provides the body's resistance to various diseases. It is known that the formation of immunity depends on many factors. These are such features of human life as the consumption of certain foods and substances (for example, protein), the effect on the body of hormone-containing drugs, and so on. In addition, the formation and functioning of immunity are significantly influenced by external influences, such as climatic conditions, the season, and the ecological situation in the area where specific people live. Immunology is a science that considers the role of all these factors in the development of violations of the defense mechanisms.
Varieties of immunity
Before talking about the pathological processes that occur in this area, it should be noted that there are several types of such diseases:
- Congenital immunodeficiency (occurs early in childhood and is characterized by frequent and intractable infections).
- Secondary immunological diseases (appear due to physical or emotional overstrain, as well as long-term use of certain drugs).
- Spontaneous diseases of the immune system (such pathologies can be triggered by disorders of the stomach and intestines or the respiratory system).
- Acquired immunodeficiency (resulting from HIV infection or other diseases in which some he althy cells of the human body destroy others, mistaking them for dangerous).
Causes of violations of the protective mechanisms
Medical immunology deals with the study of factors that provoke pathologies associated with reduced body resistance. Violations of the functioning of protective mechanisms can be provoked by the following reasons:
- Eating errors.
- Physical and emotional overload.
- Burns.
- SLE.
- Diabetes mellitus.
- Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
- Use of hormone-containing drugs and drugs that suppress the immune system.
- Some viral pathologies.
Immune system diseases include the following:
- Vasculitis.
- Myasthenia gravis.
- Narcolepsy.
- Autoimmune pancreatitis.
- Addison's disease.
- Autoimmune hepatitis and cholangitis.
- Crohn's disease.
- Celiac disease.
- Eczema.
- Herpetic infection.
- Asthma.
Diseases of the immune system usually affect not one, but several organs. For example, many of these conditions lead to disruption of the liver, thymus gland, gastrointestinal tract, and respiratory tract.
For the treatment of such pathologies, drugs are used that regulate the functioning of the immune system. It is recommended to follow a diet - eat food rich in minerals. You need to limit or completely eliminate the following foods from the diet:
- beans;
- nuts;
- potato;
- seeds;
- tomatoes;
- coffee and chocolate;
- spirits;
- mayonnaise;
- butter;
- fatty food.
You should also adhere to the correct daily routine, sleep well, exercise and give up bad habits.
Immunology: diseases, diagnostics, therapy
Diseases that accompany violations of the defense mechanisms can signal themselves with the following manifestations:
- Infections of the nose and throat.
- Fatigue, loss of energy.
- Sleep disturbance.
- Long-lasting respiratory infections that are difficult to treat.
- Temples in the joints and muscles.
- Fever.
- Herpetic infection.
- Pathologies of the stomach and intestines.
Speaking of what immunology studies, it should be noted that this science deals withresearch, diagnosis and therapy of body resistance disorders.
In the modern world, there are many ways to identify such pathologies. If signs appear that indicate a decrease in the body's resistance, a person is advised to consult an immunologist. The doctor will refer the patient for examination, find out the cause of the pathology and prescribe adequate treatment.
Many diseases are associated not with reduced, but with excessively increased activity of the immune system. These pathologies are very serious. These include allergic reactions, asthma, anaphylactic shock, hay fever, and urticaria. These pathological phenomena are associated with the fact that the human body perceives food, drugs or other substances that penetrate into it from the environment (dust, animal hair, pollen, cosmetics, and so on) as foreign. Diseases resulting from an overactive immune system need to be diagnosed and treated.
Allergy testing. Treatment
Hypersensitivity to any substances or their components can manifest itself in the form of a whole range of symptoms, which include gastrointestinal disorders, runny nose, coughing and sneezing, respiratory failure, swelling, skin itching and rashes on the body. In the presence of these signs, the specialist, of course, sends the patient for examination in order to find out the cause of the pathology. To determine what caused allergic reactions, there are many diagnostic procedures, for example:
- Questioning (the specialist talks with the patient to find out what food or medicine provoked the occurrence of pathological phenomena).
- Tests (substances that are potential allergens are applied to the skin, those that cause a reaction in the form of a rash, and which the body considers foreign).
- Exclusion (the food that can cause the development of the disease is removed from the patient's diet).
- Laboratory blood and urine tests.
- Examination of a patient by a specialist.
There are many substances that can provoke allergic reactions. Therefore, the diagnosis of this pathology is considered extremely difficult, and it must be carried out very carefully. After all, the success and effectiveness of therapy depends on how accurate and thorough the examination will be. Allergies in children are much easier to treat than in adults. This is due to the fact that in adults, unlike children, hypersensitivity to certain substances is often caused by drug addiction, past infections, chronic diseases, unhe althy lifestyles and stress. These factors greatly complicate the professional activities of allergists, which consists in carrying out diagnostic measures and therapy for disorders of the immune system.
