The key difference between autoimmune disease and immune deficiency is that autoimmune diseases are caused by an overactive immune system leading to damage of self-tissues and organs in the absence of a harmful stimulus, whereas immune deficiency is a disease where the immune system is not capable of mounting an immune response against foreign materials or organisms due to a single or multiple defects in the immune system.
The immune system is the defense system of the body which helps to protect self-tissues from harmful external agents. Autoimmune disease and immune deficiency are two conditions affecting the function of the immune system.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Autoimmune Disease
3. What is Immune Deficiency
4. Autoimmune Disease vs. Immune Deficiency in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Autoimmune Disease vs. Immune Deficiency
What is Autoimmune Disease?
Autoimmune diseases are caused by inappropriate activation of the immune system causing damage to self-tissues. The immune system develops antibodies or cell-mediated immunity against our own tissues in the absence of a harmful stimulus. This leads to the damage of self-tissues, causing vital organ failures. Although the etiology is not clear, genetic susceptibility and environmental agents such as ultraviolet rays and drugs (e.g. hydralazine) are known to induce autoimmunity. These diseases can occur as systemic or local.
Systemic Lupus Erythematous (SLE), Systemic Sclerosis (SS), and Rheumatoid Arthritis diseases are some examples of systemic diseases where multiple organs are affected. Examples of local diseases where only a single organ is affected are Grave’s disease, Myasthenia gravis, etc. In these conditions, specific antibodies against various cell or nuclear receptors can be detected in the patient’s serum, which is helpful as biomarkers in the diagnosis. Autoimmune diseases are treated with immune suppressants such as steroids, methotrexate, and azathioprine. These conditions occur more commonly among middle-aged females but not necessarily. The autoimmune disease usually has a remitting and relapsing course. Prognosis varies depending on the extent of the organs affected.
What is Immune Deficiency?
Immune deficiency is the lack of single or multiple components of the immune system. Therefore, these patients are not capable of mounting an effective immune response against certain pathogens depending on the missing component. For example, these defects can be in cellular immunity, humoral immunity or in the complement system. Immune deficiency can be inherited or acquired immunity. This can occur due to some diseases like diabetes, HIV or drugs such as immune suppressants. Typically, these patients suffer from recurrent or atypical infections.
Diagnosis is based on the detection of the missing component of the immune system by laboratory assays. Treatment is mainly by prevention of infections by immunization, prophylactic antibiotics, as well as by replacement of the missing component of the immune system in certain cases. These patients will have poor-quality lifestyles due to recurrent infections. A permanent cure is not usually possible, and some cases can be treated with stem cell transplantation. These patients need lifelong follow-up and care.
What is the Difference Between Autoimmune Disease and Immune Deficiency?
Autoimmune disease is caused by an overactive immune system in the absence of a pathogen. Immune deficiency is caused by an insufficient immune response in the presence of a pathogen or opportunistic organism. This is the key difference between autoimmune disease and immune deficiency. Autoimmune disease is common in middle-aged people, whereas in immune deficiency, age distribution varies depending on the underlying cause. Moreover, autoimmune disease is multifactorial, whereas immune deficiency is caused by a specific genetic defect or environmental cause leading to suppression of single or multiple components of the immune system.
Immune biomarkers are helpful in the diagnosis of the typical associations of symptoms and signs for autoimmune diseases, whereas immune deficiency is diagnosed by detecting the missing component of the immune system by specific laboratory assays. In addition, autoimmune disease is treated with immune suppressants. However, immune deficiency is treated by replacing the missing component with transfusions, prevention of infections with immunization and prophylaxis or, in selected cases, with stem cell transplantation.
The following table summarizes the difference between autoimmune disease and immune deficiency.
Summary – Autoimmune Disease vs. Immune Deficiency
The key difference between autoimmune disease and immune deficiency is that autoimmune diseases are caused by an overactive immune system leading to damage of self-tissues and organs in the absence of a harmful stimulus, whereas immune deficiency is a disease where the immune system is not capable of mounting an immune response against foreign materials or organisms due to a single or multiple defects in the immune system.
