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
Your immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to defend against germs. It helps your body to recognize these "foreign" invaders. Then its job is to keep them out, or if it can't, to find and destroy them.
If your immune system cannot do its job, the results can be serious. Disorders of the immune system include
- Allergy and asthma - immune responses to substances that are usually not harmful
- Immune deficiency diseases - disorders in which the immune system is missing one or more of its parts
- Autoimmune diseases - diseases causing your immune system to attack your own body's cells and tissues by mistake
NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
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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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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
- Football Injuries May Trigger Harmful Immune System Response(03/06/2013, HealthDay)
- Relationship Worries Can Make You Sick(02/22/2013, HealthDay)
- Stem Cell Technology May Help Rejuvenate Immune Cells(01/03/2013, HealthDay)
- More News on Immune System and Disorders
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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)
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IgG Replacement Therapy: When You Need It -- and When You Don't(ABIM Foundation)
- 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)
- 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: Immunobiology of beta-cell destruction.
- Article: Pleiotropic actions of insulin resistance and inflammation in metabolic homeostasis.
- Article: A global "imaging'' view on systems approaches in immunology.
- 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)
- Weakened Immune Systems(American Academy of Pediatrics)
- 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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Seniors
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Immune System: Can Your Immune System Still Defend You As You Age?(National Institute on Aging)
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Immune System: Can Your Immune System Still Defend You As You Age?
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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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MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
