Youve probably heard a lot about how important your immune system is, especially over the past few years. Phrases like herd immunity and immunocompromised proliferated in official public health updates, news stories, and health care centers as experts navigated all the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, we know that the virus can affect anyone, but it can lead to particularly risky complications for the most vulnerable people in our communities.1

Of course, theimmune systems job is to protect your body fromall invaders that may be harmful, not just certain viruses: When functioning properly, it alerts your body to a wide range of potential threats and helps it respond accordingly. However, some people have dysfunctional immune systemswhich are also known as weakened or compromised immune systemsthat cause their bodies protective response to be under- or overactive, perJohns Hopkins Medicine.

Theres no exact figure for how many people live with weakened immune systems, but its safe to say its in the millions,Leonard Calabrese, DO, a rheumatologic and immunologic disease expert at the Cleveland Clinic, tells SELF. Some research suggests at least 7 million adults in the United States are immunocompromised, per theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Below, experts explain the factors that can break down the immune systems defenses, the common symptoms associated with compromised immune systems, and what kinds of treatments are available to help.

What is a weakened immune system, exactly?

Yourimmune system is an intricate network of cells, tissues, and organs (as well as the substances they make) that, generally speaking, fight disease and infection, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). White blood cells may come to mind, but there are lots of body parts that play important roles in your immune health, like your skin, lymph nodes and vessels, thymus gland (which makes white blood vessels), spleen, tonsils, and bone marrow, among others.

The immune system is generally broken down into two parts,Scott Weisenberg, MD, an infectious disease specialist at NYU Langone Health, tells SELF. These are called the innate (or inherited) and the adaptive (or acquired) immune systems. The major difference between the two is that youre born with the former and your body develops the latter.2 Theinnate immune system is the first to respond to an invadersuch as a harmful germby surrounding it with protective cells and, if all goes as planned, killing it. Theadaptive immune system supports your innate response by producing proteins called antibodies.2 These are designed to counter a specific threat, like certain viruses or bacteria, should your body be exposed to them and need backup in the future, perJohns Hopkins Medicine.

Problems can occur when the immune system either doesnt respond enough or responds too strongly, Dr. Calabrese says. A compromised immune system fails to either detect danger or [reacts] aggressively and causes collateral damage to our systems, he explains.3 Its worth noting that problems with the immune system exist on a spectrum, Dr. Calabrese adds. The potential health risks posed by a weakened immune system arent the same if youre comparing one person who, for example, has moderate allergies, to someone whod recently had an organ transplant. Theyre hardly in the same category, Dr. Calabrese says.

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What causes a weakened immune system?

Any number of health issues, such as mild asthma, can affect your bodys ability to fight disease and infectionand certain lifestyle factors, like smoking tobacco and not getting enough sleep, can also interfere with your bodys ability to stay balanced and heal, theCDC says. However, there are several major factors that can compromise your immune systems defenses. These include:

Autoimmune diseases are characterized by a malfunctioning immune response; essentially, your body goes a bit rogue and starts to attack its healthy cells, tissues, and organs, according to theNIH. There are more than 80 autoimmune diseases that experts know of, includingrheumatoid arthritis,type 1 diabetes,lupus, and many more; these conditions are thought to impact at least 24 million people in the United States, while an additional 8 million are estimated to have blood markers that point to their susceptibility of developing one of these disorders, per the NIH.

Autoimmune diseases in general compromise a persons immune system by attacking the body. On top of that, to help a person manage the symptoms caused by their conditionmany of which can severely affect the persons quality of lifeexperts often recommend medications called immunosuppressants, like steroids orbiologics. These medications can be life-changing for some people but, in turn, the treatments can weaken the entire immune system or just a specific part of it, according to theAmerican Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology.

People who receive a bone marrow, stem cell,4 or organ transplant will also have a weakened immune system during the first few weeks after the procedure because the bodys white blood cell count is depleted, increasing the risk of potential infection. Immunosuppressants are also commonly prescribed following these procedures because they help the body accept the transplant and prevent it from attacking normal (and vital) tissues, according to experts at theUniversity of Pennsylvania Health System.

Primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDDs)also commonly known as inborn errors of immunityare rare genetic disorders that cause at least one part of a persons immune system to malfunction, according to theNIH. There are nearly 500 known PIDDs, and theyre typically characterized by repeated or severe infections.5

There are a variety of other health conditions including type 2 diabetes, liver or kidney diseases, alcohol use disorder, and HIV/AIDS, among others,that can compromise your immune system, theCDCnotes. Any form of cancer can also weaken or suppress the immune system, per theAmerican Cancer Society, but the associated treatments, which tend to be really hard on the body, can mess with immune defenses as well. These can include chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, stem cell transplants, and more.

These conditions are known as secondary immunodeficiencies, which are far more common than primary immunodeficiencies. Secondary immunodeficiencies are not a result of geneticerrors, but rather a variety of potential factors that can impact a persons once-normal immune system, like an infectious pathogen, certain substances, and environmental changes, for example.6

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What are some common signs of having a weakened immune system?

Immunocompromised people tend to get infections more often, or they may get severely ill from infections that people with healthy immune systems can recover from more easily, Dr. Weisenberg says. This means the infections may be harder to treat or last longer than expected.

People with weakened immune systems are also more likely to experience symptoms triggered by germsincluding viruses, bacteria, and fungithat arent normally seen in people with healthy immune systems. For example, Dr. Weisenberg says, a serious infection causedby the fungus Pneumocystis jiroveciiis usually only detected in people with weakened immune systems.

Frequentdigestive issues, like diarrhea, constipation, and gas, are also worth noting, per theUniversity of Pennsylvania Health System. (One theory that might explain this: Research suggests a large portion of the immune system lives in the gastrointestinal tract. In fact, up to 80% of your immune cells are found in the gut.7)

Minor woundssuch as cuts and scrapesmay also be slower to heal, since healthy immune cells are needed to shepherd the recovery process.

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What kinds of treatments are available for people with weakened immune systems?

The best treatment plan will vary depending on what, exactly, is compromising a persons immune system, Dr. Weisenberg says. In general, many treatment plans are focused on symptom management and infection control. Some people may also benefit fromintravenous immunoglobulin therapy to help replenish protective proteins, namely antibodies, and prevent infection, he adds. Immune system replacement in the form of stem cell or bone marrow transplants, as well as gene therapy, are also options depending on the cause and severity of a persons condition,as SELF previously reported.

Even with these care options, its important to recognize that people with weakened immune systems often depend on herd immunity or community immunity. This is achieved when a majority of a population has a sufficient level of immunity against aspecific infectious disease through vaccination or prior infection and recovery. This helps reduce the person-to-person spread of a pathogen, ultimately protecting vulnerable people who cant afford to get sick due to a higher risk of complications or who dont respond to or cant receive certain vaccines.8

Community immunity is extremely important,Dusan Bogunovic, PhD, a professor of microbiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, tells SELF. This can be a lifeline for many.

There are other common-sense strategies that slow infection in our communities, too, like frequent handwashing and masking up in crowded spaces. It takes a collective, conscious effort: Together, we can help protect the millions of immunocompromised people we live, work, and hang out with every day.

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What Causes a Weakened Immune System? - Self