Immunodeficiency & Autoimmune Diseases

Your body’s immune system protects you from dangerous organisms, such as bacteria and viruses, and cancer cells. If such organisms infect an otherwise healthy body, the immune system reacts by producing antibodies and an increased number of specific blood cells (called lymphocytes), which try to overcome the infection. If the immune system cannot react sufficiently to an infection, we say there is an immune deficiency or immunodeficiency. At the other extreme, an overactive immune system can also cause problems: some people have an overactive immune system that attacks the normal healthy cells of the body. This is called an autoimmune reaction. Both scenarios may lead to potentially life-threatening situations.