Immunologist

Due to constant mutations and changes in viruses, bacteria and other pathogenic microorganisms, people have become more vulnerable to diseases and their immune responses are not always able to fight the disease. It is precisely these problems that an immunologist deals with.

Immunology is a science that studies various reactions of the body to antigens, the mechanisms of their origin, course and final outcome. The pace of development of science is very rapid and therefore the distinctive feature of immunology is that this science is not stable and its foundations change over time more than the foundations of other sciences.

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Who is an immunologist?

An immunologist is a specialist with a higher medical education who has completed a specialized internship and has the right to work in a specialized medical institution. The specifics of the immunologist's work include working with patients who have certain problems in the functioning of the immune system. He deals with the treatment and prevention of these diseases, monitors their development and impact on the patient's body. Also, immunologists, together with scientists, take joint part in the development of vaccines and vaccinations against various diseases.

A very important part of the immunologist's work is immunization of the healthy population and control over the timely administration of vaccines and inoculations. In the modern world, immunologists are quite sought-after specialists, since immunization and the general health of patients depend on them.

When should you see an immunologist?

You should seek consultation and treatment from an immunologist in cases where your health has worsened and there are problems with establishing the main diagnosis. Very often, attending physicians themselves refer their patients for consultation to an immunologist in order to more accurately diagnose the disease.

The following symptoms and problems that may arise should alert the patient and if they appear, a consultation with an immunologist will be more than effective. Such conditions include:

• A slight increase in body temperature of unknown etiology that lasts more than 3-7 days.
• Chronic fatigue and rapid fatigability.
• Insomnia or constant desire to sleep.
• Body aches and general malaise.
• Frequent prolonged colds (more than 4-5 times a year).
• Frequent occurrence of herpes.
• Long-term purulent diseases of the oral cavity and nasopharynx.
• Gastrointestinal tract disorders.
• Decrease or increase in all indicators of the general blood test.
• Constant relapses of diseases.
• The body's resistance to antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal drugs.

What tests should you take when visiting an immunologist?

In most cases, the immunologist prescribes the tests that the patient must take to make a diagnosis. These are mainly complex biochemical tests that are highly effective and are carried out in specialized laboratories. There are many such tests (about 150-200) and they are divided into certain groups - autoimmune studies, rheumatoid studies, indicators of general immunity, diagnostics of celiac disease, diagnostics of antiphospholipid syndrome. Naturally, the doctor also needs to look at the results of general tests - blood, urine, feces.

What diagnostic methods does an immunologist use?

In order to prescribe the correct treatment, it is very important for the immunologist to make the correct diagnosis for the patient. To do this, he uses various diagnostic methods. These include:

• Blood test results.
• Skin testing with allergens (plant pollen, household and food allergens, etc.).
• Study of immune and interferon status.
• Cytological scrapings from the tongue, tonsils and auditory canal to determine fungal mycelium.
• Stool analysis for dysbacteriosis.
• Bacteriological blood cultures for sterility.
• Cultures from the throat, nose, ear, conjunctiva.
• Molecular biological and serological studies.
• Comprehensive diagnostics of drug and food allergies.
• Measurements of pulse rate, heart rate, blood pressure, and vital capacity of the lungs.

If necessary, the immunologist can also use diagnostic methods such as percussion, palpation, auscultation, ultrasound, X-ray, electrocardiogram, tissue biopsy, etc.

What does an immunologist do?

The specifics of the work of an immunologist are very broad, since the immune system is responsible for the work of each organ in our body and for the correct functioning of the organism as a whole. An immunologist is engaged in medical practice and treatment of patients with various diseases and pathologies of the immune system. In addition, immunologists work in research centers, where they are engaged in research work and the development of new medical drugs and vaccines. The main sections of immunology are:

• General immunology (studies immunity at the molecular and cellular level).
• Immunopathology (treatment of patients with obvious diseases of the immune system).
• Infectious immunology (study of the immune response in infectious diseases).
• Non-infectious immunology (the study of the body's immune response to non-infectious antigens).
• Immunochemistry (studies immunity at the chemical level).
• Allergological immunology (deals with the treatment of allergic reactions of the body from the point of view of immunity).
• Transplantation immunology (related to problems of transplantation of donor organs).
• Radiation immunology (deals with the restoration of immune functions after radiation therapy).
• Embryoimmunology (solves problems of immune incompatibility between the fetus and mother).

There are also pediatric immunologists who specialize specifically in studying the work and development of immunity in childhood and the specifics of treating immune diseases in children and the specifics of immunization for healthy children.

What diseases does an immunologist treat?

An immunologist treats many diseases, since the immune system covers the entire body and failures in its work, as a rule, affect each system of internal organs. The main groups of diseases treated by an immunologist include:

• Chronic diseases that are associated with secondary immunodeficiency.
• Viral diseases that are characterized by systematic relapses.
• Infectious diseases that appeared against the background of HIV, AIDS, hepatitis, etc.
• Recurrent purulent diseases (osteomyelitis, furunculosis, pyoderma).
• Recurrent fungal infections.
• Urological and gynecological diseases.
• Benign formations with a high risk of malignancy (degeneration into cancer).
• Allergic diseases (allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis, cold and food allergies).
• Allergic reactions to insect bites.
• Allergic reactions to medication.
• Diseases of unknown etiology.

Advice from an immunologist

Based on the fact that in the modern world living conditions are not very favorable for humans ecologically and many people are quite passive, this is reflected first of all in the immune system. According to statistics, almost every adult or child has a weakened immune system. A weakened immune system can be observed as a seasonal phenomenon and also as a chronic condition. First of all, constant stress, poor nutrition, limited physical activity, overwork, lack of sleep, unhealthy working and living conditions contribute to this very actively. In order to improve your immunity and prevent diseases, you need to spend more time outdoors, play sports, lead a healthy lifestyle and diet, and not succumb to stress. These simple rules will help you strengthen your immune system and resist diseases.

But before you try to boost your immunity by taking vitamins and medications, you need to consult a doctor, since human immunity is a very complex system, and it works at different levels for everyone. Therefore, what another person takes may not always help one person. If the patient already has an obvious disease of the immune system, then self-medication in this case can be very dangerous, since you can dramatically worsen your health.

Another important aspect of the immunologist's work is immunization of the healthy population. There are many myths now that vaccinations are deadly injections and should never be given, especially to children. In fact, these are all myths. For a healthy person, vaccination does not pose any potential threat to life, and refusal to vaccinate after some time can literally become a matter of life and death, especially for children whose immune system is very weakened. When a pathogenic factor enters the body of an unvaccinated child, it is almost impossible to resist it, and very often such conditions have a fatal outcome.

In conclusion, we can say that an immunologist is a very important specialist in modern medicine, he has a multidisciplinary level of work and specializes in the treatment of almost all diseases. The immune system of a modern person is very vulnerable, and if you began to notice a deterioration in your general health and frequent illnesses, then an immunologist can help you solve this problem.