Immunosuppression - Immunodeficiency

Generality

Immunosuppression, or immunodeficiency, is the medical condition in which an individual's immune system is functioning less effectively than normal or not functioning at all.

There are at least two ways to classify immunodeficiency and make it easier to consult the triggering causes. A first classification uses, as a criterion of distinction, the affected component of the immune system (immunodepression based on the affected component). A second classification uses, as distinctive criterion, the congenital or acquired origin of the condition (immunosuppression based on origin).
To diagnose immunosuppression, the following are essential: physical examination, medical history, white blood cell count, T cell count, and immunoglobulin count.
Therapy depends on the triggering causes: some causes involve forms of immunodeficiency that are more treatable than others.