What do immunosuppressive drugs do?

What do immunosuppressive drugs do? 

By Roberta

The role of immunosuppressive drugs is hidden in their name. The “immuno” part of the word directly refers to our immune system, the cells and chemicals in our body that help us fight off germs. “Suppressive” means that it can repress or silence something, in this case, our immune system. Put it all together, immunosuppressive drugs are medications that muffle the activation and response of our immune system. 

Purpose of Immunosuppressive Drugs 

“Why would we want that?” you must be wondering. Although taking them would indeed expose our body to a higher risk of infection, there are circumstances where these medications are necessary. An example of this is when someone is affected by a condition known as “Inflammatory Bowel Disease”. Inflammatorye bowel disease (IBD) is what is known as an autoimmune disease, a condition where our immune system cannot recognise our own body and attacks it (auto = self) as if it was something harmful. IBD can cause quite severe and uncomfortable symptoms, such as mouth sores, bloating, and painful cramps with diarrhoea which can at times be stained with blood. Not all autoimmune diseases however affect the gut, another example of autoimmune disease treated with immunosuppressive drugs is rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA is a disease of the joints, the point where two or more bones articulate with one another to allow movement. Here, the immune system can mistakenly attack our bones causing swelling, redness, pain and even changes to the bones shape. These are just a few examples, but there are many different autoimmune conditions out there, which can be very debilitating for those affected; this is where immunosuppressive drugs become handy. 

Types of Immunosuppressive Drugs 

Because of how many factors are involved in our immune system response there are many different types of immunosuppressive drugs available for our patients. For example, the most commonly used ones are Corticosteroids, a type of drug that blocks signalling pathways of immune responses. You might have seen them being applied as a cream, taken as a tablet, as an inhaler for asthma or even injected. They are usually the most readily available and prescribed type of immunosuppressive drugs. Other medications can act more specifically, one way this might happen is by blocking only certain molecules released during the immune response. An example of this are the Biologicals, a group of drugs so called because they are made from living organisms and their products. However, these tend to be prescribed less frequently because they can only be given as an injection and are therefore more inconvenient to take. 

These are just a couple of examples, luckily today scientists have invented a variety of immunosuppressive drugs to suit all types of autoimmune conditions and patient needs. 

Other Applications of Immunosuppressive Drugs 

Autoimmune conditions aren’t the only occasion in which immunosuppressive medications are employed. They can be used during important procedures such as organ transplantation, to help the recipient’s body accept the new organ, or in oncology, as part of cancer therapy. Overall, their use and benefits are many, but they come at the expense of a weakened immune system, which therefore exposes those taking them to more severe infections. For this reason, if you are taking immunosuppressive drugs, it’s important that you look after your health carefully, and the people around you take the right precautions to prevent the spread of germs that could cause you harm. This can be done by eating well, getting vaccinated and avoiding habits that could harm your body, like smoking or drinking alcohol.