Immunity examination. Immunogram. Lymphocyte subpopulations and interferon status. Chronic infections

The leading activity of our clinic is the treatment and diagnosis of diseases of the immune system. We will be happy to help you restore the proper functioning of the immune system, conduct and decipher an immunogram. You can take an immune status test (immunogram) in our clinic 7 days a week. At your request, we will offer you the help of an immunologist.

• What is an immunogram
• Why do you need an immunogram?
• Main indications for immune examination
• Screening for infections

The main function of the human immune system is to identify, neutralize and remove genetically foreign substances from the body. These can be bacteria, viruses, fungi, various toxins, etc. If one of the links of the immune system weakens or, on the contrary, becomes overly activated, a disease is possible. This could be an infection (for example, herpes virus, thrush, etc.), an allergy, a malignant tumor (a healthy immune system destroys emerging tumor cells every day), an autoimmune disease (an attack of the immune system against healthy tissues of the body). Different immune cells and molecules do different jobs. There are no medications “for the entire immune system,” so before starting treatment, you need to determine the cause of the immune system disorder (do an immunogram). An immunogram is a series of tests that help determine where exactly, in which of the immune processes the breakdown occurred. The immunogram indicators usually show that some processes in the immune system are proceeding normally, while others are suppressed or, conversely, over-activated. Immunological treatment must hit the target, work exactly where there are disorders. The main task of any immune treatment is to help weakened immune processes recover, not to interfere with properly functioning processes, and to “cool” overly activated ones. Simply donating blood for an immunogram is not enough: you need to correlate the immunogram indicators with the general condition of the body, current diseases, quality of sleep and mental well-being.

What is an immunogram?

An immunogram is a comprehensive study of the main indicators of the human immune system. Typically, the main material for studying the immune status is venous blood, but saliva, cerebrospinal fluid and scrapings from the nasopharynx can be used for research.

What does an immunogram show? Main parameters:

• State of cellular immunity. Markers of immunocompetent cells, the number of different types of immune cells and their percentage are determined. Types of immune cells are like branches of the military: each type of cell has its own job.
• State of humoral immunity. The level of immunoglobulins IgA, IgG, IgM, IgE is examined. Immunoglobulins are antibodies that can bind foreign agents. Circulating immune complexes (CIC) are studied.
• Interferon status. Interferons or interferon status are examined. Interferons are signaling molecules that transmit excitatory or inhibitory signals from cell to cell. Interferons also have a direct destructive effect on viruses and tumor cells. Interferon status will help assess the content of alpha and gamma interferons in the blood, the ability of immune system cells to produce interferons.
• Complement system – complement components C3 and C4. Complement is an element of innate immunity, i.e. a complex of proteins designed to protect the body from foreign agents. The complement system works regardless of the presence/absence of immunological memory for specific microbes: it recognizes microbes by their common characteristics.
• Function of phagocytosis. This is the ability of immune cells to capture foreign organisms. The phagocytic function of neutrophils is usually tested using the NBT test (nitroblue tetrazolium test).
• In some cases, autoimmune markers are determined. These are circulating immune complexes, antinuclear factor and various autoantibodies directed against the tissues of one’s own body.
• Immunoglobulin E ( IgE ) can be detected. IgE is involved in allergic reactions.
• Eosinophil cationic protein ( ECP ). A protein released during the allergic process. A high level of eosinophilic cationic protein can determine the current allergic process and infestation by large parasites.
• Condition and function of the thymus gland. This is the gland in which T-lymphocytes mature and undergo “training”. To do this, you can look at the corresponding markers in a blood test for immune status and evaluate the structure and size of the thymus gland using computed tomography (CT scan of the chest).

Some important immunogram indicators:

Other specific parameters (extended immunogram) are less commonly used, depending on the goals and objectives of the search.

Deciphering an immunogram is a process that is performed by a doctor based on the results of an immunogram and other studies, including x-rays, ultrasound and examination of the patient. Without the presence of the patient, the immunogram is quite difficult to interpret and it is not always possible to do it correctly. For example, if immunity was initially reduced, and the patient fell ill with some kind of inflammatory disease (for example, the herpes virus was activated), then during an active inflammatory process the immune system will work more aggressively and the immunogram may become falsely normal. The picture of overly activated immunity can be observed if the patient initially had normal immunity, but he has recently been ill or suffered a vaccination or injury. Deciphering the immunogram can be carried out simultaneously with the examination of the patient in the office of an immunologist. What is important here is a full physical examination of the patient by an immunologist, with an assessment of the condition of the lymph nodes, mucous membranes, respiratory organs, joints, skin, etc. This helps to correctly decipher and interpret the immunogram, taking into account personal characteristics and the current state of health.

Preparation for the study of immune status. An immunogram is done in conjunction with a general blood test. You need to donate blood for an immunogram in the morning, on an empty stomach. In order to avoid distortion of the results in the analysis, we recommend refraining from drinking alcohol and smoking 1-2 days before examining your immune status. Donating blood for an immunogram is not recommended during menstruation and against the background of acute infectious diseases occurring with high fever.

An immunogram can be taken at our clinic. Based on the results of the study, we will offer you a consultation with an immunologist, who will give a transcript of the immunogram, recommend appropriate treatment or refer additional examination, if required.

The cost of an immunity test (immunogram) depends on the number of indicators that need to be taken into account when prescribing treatment.

How does stress affect a child's immunity?

What else can cause movement and lead a child to the state of being frequently ill? These are stressful situations. Quite often we may not even realize that a child can endure stress. When he goes to a children's group, it can be psychological stress for him. And a condition such as prolonged stress can also lead to a decrease in immunity. Any infectious disease, any viral infection can lead to a trail of some kind of protracted immunodeficiency state, which can lead a child to a state of being frequently ill.

In addition to stress, connective tissue is also of great importance. A person is 80% connective tissue. Unfortunately, today about 45% of children are born with undifferentiated connective tissue dysplasia. These tissues permeate the entire body, unite the human body into a single whole - blood vessels, blood, and cells of the immune system are also representatives of connective tissue; if a child was born with such characteristics, he will more often than other children fall into the group of frequently ill people.

What else is important? It is important to understand whether the child has a hidden chronic disease. Because any hidden chronic disease - a problem of the kidneys, lungs, bronchi - any chronic pathology in a child can cause the condition of a frequently ill person. And this will manifest itself in the form of frequent respirators, at the first stage. Then, of course, the clinical picture will begin to emerge more clearly regarding the disease of the organ that provoked the particular diseases.

Why do you need an immunogram?

The immune system is a complex system. When planning treatment, we must clearly understand what exactly violations in the immune system have occurred and why. Then treatment can be confidently directed exactly where it is needed. There is no cure for the entire immune system. Modern medicines make it possible to selectively, “point” help a particular immune process, and an immunogram helps to determine effective and safe points of application of treatment. This treatment is more reliable, requires less medications and meets safety criteria.

We can offer you a full laboratory examination of immunity and assistance from an allergist-immunologist in “deciphering” immunity tests. There is a profitable special offer

Samples of research results with transcripts

Main indications for immune examination

We examine the immune system if the disease occurs with its participation. Mainly:

• The presence of chronic inflammation anywhere when the immune system is unable to cope with the infection (tonsillitis, pharyngitis, bronchitis, cystitis, pyelonephritis, gastritis, dysbacteriosis, prostatitis, ureaplasma, thrush, herpes, etc.);
• The presence of an autoimmune, rheumatic disease , when the immune system can show aggression towards healthy tissues of the body, mistaking them for foreign;
• Frequent (more than 6 times a year) and long-term “colds” : infectious diseases of the skin, mucous membranes, respiratory tract with a long course and low effectiveness when treated with antibiotics
• Allergy;
• Neuroinfections , including arachnoiditis;
• Risk of cancer (decreased antitumor immunity, unfavorable heredity, radiation exposure, etc.), condition after surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy.
• Increased temperature for 2 weeks for no reason
• Enlarged lymph nodes
• Loss of body weight for no apparent reason
• Feeling tired, muscle pain, loss of performance
• Frequent relapses of herpes, thrush, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, rhinitis, sinusitis, dermatitis, cystitis, pyelonephritis, bronchitis and other chronic inflammatory diseases

Screening for infections

Simultaneously with the study of the immune system, we usually clarify the presence of infections in the body and the nature of their interaction with the immune system. Humans constantly interact with microbes. Normally, microbes are under the control of the immune system and do not penetrate into the internal environment of the body. But if the immune system is impaired, infection occurs easily. It is better to treat such infections in combination with restoring the immune system. Therefore, the correct examination before treatment is “Immunogram + Infections”. There is a profitable special offer.
What tests for infections are possible:

• Antibodies and PCR blood tests to detect infections.
• Analysis of stool for dysbacteriosis and intestinal infections.
• Examination by a gynecologist (for women) or a urologist (for men) with scraping collection for subsequent laboratory PCR testing and bacteriological culture.
• Collection of bacteriological cultures and PCR smears from the nasal cavity and pharynx, eyes, bacterial culture and PCR examination of urine, sputum, joint fluid, pus, etc.

Causes of weakened immunity in children

In fact, this is both a fairly serious social problem and an economic problem. When a child often suffers, there is no normal psychological climate in the family. Why does this happen? Because, unfortunately, other family members experience attention deficit. And 70% of families whose child is often sick note that they have tense psychological relationships. They cannot add warmth and attention to each other, and this greatly changes the quality of life in the family.

In addition, this is a rather serious financial problem. Why? Because, unfortunately, it is very difficult to treat a child every month. This requires certain material costs on the one hand, and on the other hand, today young people and parents work, and if they remain on sick leave for a long time, they cannot pay attention to their business, accordingly such material costs increase, because the flow of material resources into the family is also shrinking. And from the point of view of the state, this is also a serious financial problem, because the employee is absent from work, from the social sphere, from the labor sphere for a long period of his life while the child is sick.

But what could be the factor that leads to the creation of such conditions, when a child often gets sick? In fact, there can be many reasons for this. I, as an infectious disease specialist, would like to note first of all those reasons that may be associated with external factors, with chronic diseases, with the state of the immune system, with psychological conditions, because a frequently ill child, unfortunately, can quite often shape psychopathic personality development . He demands more and more attention to himself, and begins to deliberately attract even more attention from loved ones, his relatives, his parents.

Quite often I hear from my patients, from parents of sick children, that something is wrong with the child’s immune system. It is not always so. For example, in 20% of cases, a sick child may have a serious illness such as bronchial asthma hidden behind a series of constantly recurring respiratory or cold diseases. And of course, such a child needs to be seriously and comprehensively examined in order to identify the onset of this disease.

If a child lived calmly for a certain period of his life and did not have frequent illnesses, and then suddenly he “got involved,” the reason for this may be contact with a large number of children. This especially affects children over three years old, when they go to children's groups, kindergartens, nurseries and begin to have close contact with a large number of children who have their own microflora, their own viruses, their own bacteria in the nasopharynx. They begin to become re-infected with all this. And here the immune system copes for some period, and then it begins to fail.

When can the immune system fail? When it is exhausted, or from a series of endlessly recurring colds. But quite often in childhood this may be due to deeper reasons, such as parasitic infestations, to which neither parents nor the doctor may pay attention. Therefore, when we work with frequently ill children, first of all we are engaged in determining what is the key factor in changing the functioning of the immune system. Are there any parasitic infestations there?

The second group of serious diseases in the 21st century is the group of herpes viral infections. These infections themselves can be either acute or chronic. If they become chronic, they can, with prolonged activation, inhibit the functioning of the immune system. And then the child’s immunity does not have enough strength to fight new, oncoming cold viruses. And such children can also suffer either transients, temporary immunodeficiency, or it can drag on for months, sometimes even years.