National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Immune System and Disorders is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine 
National Institutes of Health
Immune System and Disorders
When your body encounters a germ, its first line of defense is your immune system. Specialized cells and organs help your body recognize and respond to foreign invaders. Your immune system even has its own circulatory system, called the lymphatic system.
If your immune system cannot do its job, the results can be serious. Disorders of the immune system include
- Allergy and asthma - inappropriate immune responses to substances that are usually harmless
- Graft-vs.-host disease - a life-threatening reaction in people receiving organ transplants
- Immune deficiency diseases - disorders in which your resistance to disease becomes dangerously low
- Autoimmune diseases - diseases causing your immune system to attack your own body's cells and tissues by mistake
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Start Here
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Immune System(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
- Immune System(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
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Primary Immunodeficiency(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
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Immune System
The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Basics
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Learn More
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Multimedia & Cool Tools
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For group Basics
For group Learn More
For group Multimedia & Cool Tools
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
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Reference Shelf
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For You
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For group Research
For group Reference Shelf
For group For You
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Overviews
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Primary Immune Deficiency Diseases(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
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Primary Immunodeficiency(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
- Primary Immunodeficiency FAQs(Jeffrey Modell Foundation)
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Primary Immune Deficiency Diseases
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Latest News
- HPV Vaccine Found Safe in Large Study(10/01/2012, HealthDay)
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NIH Researchers Restore Children's Immune Systems with Refinements in Gene Therapy(09/11/2012, National Human Genome Research Institute)
- New Immune-Deficiency Illness Emerging in East Asia(08/22/2012, HealthDay)
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Diagnosis/Symptoms
- 10 Warning Signs of Primary Immunodeficiency(Jeffrey Modell Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
- 4 Stages of Testing for Primary Immunodeficiency(Jeffrey Modell Foundation)
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Treatment
- Inherited Immune System Disorders(National Marrow Donor Program)
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Coping
- Living with Primary Immunodeficiency(Jeffrey Modell Foundation)
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Disease Management
- How to Keep an Infusion Log: Intravenous Immune Globulin (IVIG)(Immune Deficiency Foundation) - PDF
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Specific Conditions
- Chronic Granulomatous Disease (CGD)(American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology)
- Common Variable Immunodeficiency (CVID)(American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology)
- DiGeorge Syndrome (DGS)(American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology)
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GVHD (Graft-Versus-Host Disease): A Guide for Patients and Families After Stem Cell Transplant(National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center)
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- Also available in Spanish
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Mastocytosis(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
- Primary Immunodeficiency Specific Defects(Jeffrey Modell Foundation)
- Selective IgA Deficiency(American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology)
- Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) and Transplant(National Marrow Donor Program)
- X-Linked Agammaglobulinemia (XLA)(American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology)
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Related Issues
- Flu Vaccine Guidance for Patients with Immune Deficiency(American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology) - PDF
- Immune Disorders (and Oral Health)(Columbia University, College of Dental Medicine)
- Immunocompromised Travelers(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Recurrent Infections May Signal Immunodeficiencies(American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology) - PDF
- Also available in Spanish
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Health Check Tools
- Immune System Quiz(Nemours Foundation)
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Videos
- Immune response - Encyclopedia
- Also available in Spanish
- Phagocytosis - Encyclopedia
- Also available in Spanish
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Games
- Play the Immune System Defender Game(Nobel Foundation)
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Anatomy/Physiology
- Immune System(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Granulomatous Disease, Chronic(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Immune System(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Immune System Diseases(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Severe Combined Immunodeficiency(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Granulomatous Disease, Chronic
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Genetics
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Genetics Home Reference: 22q11.2 deletion syndrome(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Adenosine deaminase deficiency(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Arts syndrome(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Chediak-Higashi syndrome(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Chronic granulomatous disease(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Common variable immune deficiency(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Complement factor I deficiency(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Hepatic veno-occlusive disease with immunodeficiency(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Immune dysregulation, polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy, X-linked syndrome(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: IRAK-4 deficiency(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Job syndrome(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Langerhans cell histiocytosis(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Mannose-binding lectin deficiency(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Purine nucleoside phosphorylase deficiency(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Schimke immuno-osseous dysplasia(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: X-linked agammaglobulinemia(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: X-linked hyper IgM syndrome(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: X-linked lymphoproliferative disease(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: ZAP70-related severe combined immunodeficiency(National Library of Medicine)
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Learning about Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID)(National Human Genome Research Institute)
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Genetics Home Reference: 22q11.2 deletion syndrome
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: The immune system--a hidden treasure for biomarker discovery in cutaneous...
- Article: New drugs help immune system fight cancer.
- Article: A decade of imaging cellular motility and interaction dynamics in...
- Immune System and Disorders -- see more articles
- Immune system diseases -- see more articles
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Directories
- Expert Locator: Immunologists(Jeffrey Modell Foundation)
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Organizations
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Children
- Our Immune System(Immune Deficiency Foundation) - PDF
- Repeated Infections in Children(American Academy of Family Physicians)
- Also available in Spanish
- Severe Combined Immunodeficiency(Nemours Foundation)
- What Is a Pediatric Allergist / Immunologist?(American Academy of Pediatrics)
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Teenagers
- Immune System(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
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Patient Handouts
- Agammaglobulinemia
- Also available in Spanish
- Aging changes in immunity
- Also available in Spanish
- Chronic granulomatous disease
- Also available in Spanish
- Graft-versus-host disease
- Also available in Spanish
- Hyperimmunoglobulin E syndrome
- Also available in Spanish
- Immune response
- Also available in Spanish
- Immunodeficiency disorders
- Also available in Spanish
- Selective deficiency of IgA
- Also available in Spanish
- Serum sickness
- Also available in Spanish
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You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
