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Diseases » Hyper-IgM Syndrome » Glossary

Glossary for Hyper-IgM Syndrome

AIDS: A term given to HIV patients who have a low CD4 count (below 200) which means that they have low levels of a type of immune cell called T-cells. AIDS patients tend to develop opportunistic infections and cancers. Opportunistic infections are infections that would not normally affect a person with a healthy immune system. The HIV virus is a virus that attacks the body's immune system.
Autoimmune diseases: A group of disorders in which the primary cause is the an inflammatory reaction caused by the body's own immune system attacking tissues
Chronic Granulomatous Disease: A very rare inherited blood disorder where certain cells involved with immunity (phagocytes) are unable to destroy bacteria and hence the patient suffers repeated bacterial infections.
Chronic diarrhoea: Diarrhoea lasting for more than 3 weeks
Common Variable Immunodeficiency: An immunodeficiency disorder involving low blood gamma globulin levels which results in an increased susceptibility to infections. The condition may be inherited or can be caused by certain drugs (levamisole, hydantoin and carbamazepine).
Diarrhea: Loose or watery stool.
Encephalitis: Dangerous infection of the brain
Enlarged liver: Swelling of the liver.
Enlarged tonsils: Enlargement of the tonsils, which are glands found in the oropharynx.
Genetic Disease: Any disease that is handed down to oneself through the chromosomes of ones parents
Hepatitis: Any type of liver inflammation or infection.
Hypohidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia: An inherited disorder involving the developmental abnormalities during the fetal stage that can affect the skin, hair, nails, teeth and sweat glands. This form of ectodermal dysplasia is characterized by a reduced ability to sweat due to a lack of sweat glands or dysfunction of present sweat glands.
Immune deficiency conditions: Any of various diseases that suppress the immune system.
Immune disorders: Disorders that affect the immune system
Infection: Infections as a symptom.
Lymphoma: Cancer involving lymph nodes and the immune system.
Neutropenia: Reduced number of granulocytes in the blood
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: A type of lymphoma, a cancer affecting lymph nodes and the immune system.
Opportunistic infections: Is defined as an infection that occurs due to an organism that does not usually cause disease but becomes pathogenic under certain conditions
Otitis: Any type of ear inflammation or infection (otitis)
Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia: Pneumonia common as an opportunistic infection of AIDS.
Primary Immune Deficiency: Various types of immune deficiencies; usually genetic.
Respiratory symptoms: Symptoms affecting the breathing systems.
SCID: Major failure of the immune system, usually genetic.
Sclerosing Cholangitis: Chronic hereditary disease causing inflammation and destruction of the bile ducts in and around the liver with subsequent blockage to bile flow
Selective IgA Deficiency: Immune deficiency from lacking immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies.
Sepsis: The presence of pathological micro-organisms in the blood
Sinusitis: Sinusitis is an inflammation of the paranasal sinuses.
Swollen spleen: Swelling or enlargement of the spleen
X-Linked Agammaglobulinemia: Immune deficiency from lack of antibodies.