Quite often, doctors prescribe a study called an immunogram to patients. What kind of analysis is this? How to use it to evaluate the body? How are samples taken? What is the indication for this study? These questions are of interest to many patients who first encountered such a medical prescription.
Immunogram - what is it?
The human body is constantly exposed to environmental factors and is in contact with various living organisms, including various infections. And the function of protection lies entirely on the
human immune system.An immunogram is a comprehensive study that, in fact, helps to evaluate the functioning and condition of the immune system. During the analysis, the specialist has the opportunity to count the number of blood cells, calculate their ratio, and also evaluate the functional activity of each type of protective structures. Such testing makes it possible to determine the mass of various disorders, including immunodeficiency and an allergic reaction.
Indications for the study
Of course, there are some diseases in which an immunogram is simply necessary. What are these violations? First of all, such studies
carried out if the patient survived an organ transplant, underwent a course of chemotherapy or for a long time took immunosuppressants that inhibit the activity of the immune system.
In addition, primary and secondary immunodeficiencies, as well as a suspicion of HIV infection, are indications for the test. The analysis is carried out for patients who suffer from frequent pneumonia, chronic inflammatory diseases, prolonged fungal infections, pustular skin lesions. In addition, suspected cancer or autoimmune diseases are also indications.
An immunogram in children can reveal the presence of an allergic reaction or some kind of congenital disease of the immune system. The test is carried out with damage to the body by parasites (including worms) or a viral infection.
In some cases, such tests are also necessary for pregnant women. First of all, the work of the immune system is evaluated if the mother is HIV-infected. In addition, a constant violation of the tissue interaction of the organisms of the woman and the fetus can become an indication. In some cases, a Rhesus conflict occurs during pregnancy (if the mother has Rh negative and the baby is positive). In such conditions, a blood immunogram is also necessary.
Studies are also carried out with frequent relapses of herpes simplex and cytomegalovirus infection. They are mandatory if you have or suspect an autoimmune disorder. In some cases, the indication for conducting is severe stress or severe emotional trauma during pregnancy.
How are samples taken?
For research and evaluation of the immune system, the patient’s blood is used. It is immediately worth noting that this analysis does not require any special preparations. Blood sampling is carried out in the morning, and the patient can not have breakfast before the procedure - you can drink only a glass of water (still).
For the study, they take both capillary (for this, make a small puncture at the tip of the finger) and venous blood, depending on the purpose of the analysis and the characteristics of the clinic. In any case, the blood is separated and placed immediately in two test tubes. In the first, it begins to curl under the influence of an external cut. A blood clot, which is a clot of red blood cells, is removed and the plasma composition is analyzed. In the second test tube, the blood is mixed with anticoagulants - it is stored here in its natural liquid form.
In some cases, saliva, lacrimal or cerebrospinal fluid, mucus from the nasopharynx, etc. are taken for analysis.
Contraindications to the analysis
There are conditions of the body in which such an analysis as an immunogram is contraindicated. What are these conditions? To begin with, it is worth noting that blood sampling is not performed during menstruation in women.
In addition, any infectious diseases, as well as chronic inflammatory diseases at the acute stage, are contraindications. With such problems, the functioning of the immune system changes, and, accordingly, the study is unlikely to be informative. What to do in such cases? Take the full course of treatment and wait for a full recovery.
What are they looking at during laboratory testing?
Naturally, many patients are interested in questions about what kind of studies the immunogram includes, which this analysis shows. In fact, experts pay attention mainly to three main points:
- The system of cellular immunity.
- Phagocytic activity of neutrophils.
- The level of immunoglobulins in blood serum.
Each of these components of the study is extremely important, as it helps to evaluate the functioning of different mechanisms of immune defense.
Cellular immunity system
In order to evaluate the functioning of the cellular immunity system, it is necessary to determine the number of T and B lymphocytes. The former protect tissues from certain bacteria, fungal organisms, and viral particles. Moreover, it is customary to isolate T-helpers that produce antibodies, as well as T-suppressors that inhibit their synthesis. It is the number and ratio of these cells that the immunogram shows. The norm is the ratio between T-helpers and T-suppressors 1.5-2.0. The total number of T-lymphocytes should not exceed 50-70% of the total number of immunoactive structures.
B-lymphocytes provide the synthesis of immunoglobulins after a cell encounters a foreign agent. Normally, their number should not exceed 6-20%.
Study of the function and level of immunoglobulins
In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the immune system, the laboratory also determines the level of each immunoglobulin. First of all, attention is paid to the following indicators:
- Immunoglobulin A (IgA). It neutralizes viruses and toxins secreted by the bacterium, and is also responsible for protecting the mucous membranes. Normally, its level ranges from 0.5-2.0.
- Immunoglobulin M is an antibody produced by the fetus. These are early antibodies that protect the body of an unborn child from viruses and gram-negative bacteria. An increase in their number indicates the presence of acute inflammation. By the way, normally their level is 0.5-2.5.
- Immunoglobulins G are late fetal antibodies that activate phagocytosis processes, neutralize toxins and can cross the placenta. The norm is 5.0-14.0.
- Class E immunoglobulins are involved in the development of an allergic reaction and protect the body from parasites. An increase in their level (normally does not exceed 100 IU / ml) can indicate both damage to the body by worms and allergies.
Assessment of the phagocytic activity of neutrophils
Of course, it is important not only to determine the number of leukocytes, but also to assess their phagocytic activity, thereby finding out the degree of their functionality. To do this, under laboratory conditions, they check how quickly and efficiently the blood cells capture and digest the so-called "test particles" - the standard microparticles they offer (for example, latex), as well as the cells of dead bacteria (most often staphylococci are used for this purpose).
By the way, sometimes during the test, important indicators such as phagocytic activity (the number of phagocytes as a percentage of all counted neutrophils) and also the phagocytic number (average number of latex particles that an active neutrophil can absorb) are also determined.
In any case, with the obtained research results, you should immediately go to the doctor, since some additional tests may be necessary to make an accurate diagnosis.
Useful information
In fact, many people to whom doctors prescribe such a study are faced with the question of where the immunogram can be made. It is worth noting that in an ordinary clinic, such an analysis is unlikely to be done, so it is better to look for large hospitals or private laboratories. In an extreme case, you can ask this question at the attending physician - he will definitely provide the necessary information.
How much is an immunogram? This is another interesting point for patients. In fact, the cost of the study can be different, since it depends both on the price policy of the clinic you have chosen and on the volume of research (sometimes a doctor needs to determine only a few indicators to make an accurate diagnosis). On average, the price of a study ranges from 1000 to 9000 rubles.