Immunosuppressive drug facts for kids
Immunosuppressive drugs are special medicines that help control your body's immune system. They are also called immunosuppressants or antirejection medications. These drugs are often used when someone gets a new organ, like a heart or kidney, or to treat certain health problems where the immune system accidentally attacks the body.
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Why Do People Need These Medicines?
Immunosuppressive drugs are used for two main reasons:
Helping New Organs Stay Safe
When someone gets a new organ from another person (like a heart, kidney, or liver transplant), their immune system might see it as a "stranger." The immune system's job is to fight off things that don't belong, like germs. But in this case, it might try to attack the new organ. Immunosuppressive drugs stop this attack, helping the new organ work well and stay healthy in the body. This is called preventing transplant rejection.
Calming Overactive Immune Systems
Sometimes, the immune system makes a mistake and starts attacking the body's own healthy cells and tissues. This is called an autoimmune disease. Medicines like these can help calm the immune system down in conditions such as:
- Rheumatoid arthritis (which affects joints)
- Multiple sclerosis (which affects the brain and nerves)
- Psoriasis (which affects the skin)
- Crohn's disease and Ulcerative colitis (which affect the gut)
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (which can affect many parts of the body)
These drugs can also help with some other health problems where there is a lot of inflammation, like severe asthma.
Possible Side Effects
Because these medicines calm down the immune system, they can have some side effects.
Increased Risk of Infections
The most common side effect is that your body might become less able to fight off germs. This means you could get infections more easily, like colds or the flu. It's important for people taking these medicines to be careful about getting sick.
Doctors often check if patients have had all their vaccinations before starting these drugs. Getting vaccinated helps protect against many diseases, even when the immune system is less active.
Other Side Effects
These medicines can also cause other effects, such as:
- Higher blood pressure
- Changes in how the body uses fats and sugars
- Stomach problems, like peptic ulcers
- Changes in body shape or appearance, like a "moon face" (a rounder face)
- Problems with the liver or kidneys
It's also important to know that immunosuppressive drugs can affect how other medicines work. Doctors always consider all the medicines a person is taking to make sure they work safely together.
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