Allergy & Immunity

Lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus — SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks many parts of the body. It mostly affects young women (roughly 9× more than men), often in the 20s and 30s, and is more common and more severe in South Asians than in Europeans.

Food allergy is the immune system reacting to a specific food protein. It is different from food intolerance (like lactose intolerance, which is a digestive issue, not immune).

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are bone-marrow disorders where blood cells are made abnormally. They cause anaemia, bleeding, and frequent infections, and a proportion progress to acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).

Autoimmune diseases are a broad group of conditions where the immune system attacks the body's own tissues. They include rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, thyroid disease (Hashimoto's, Graves'), type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, vitiligo, and many others.

Latex allergy is an immune reaction to proteins in natural rubber latex. It's relevant to healthcare workers, patients with repeated surgeries, spina bifida, and people who use latex condoms, rubber gloves, or balloons.

Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough) are three vaccine-preventable diseases that are still causing real illness and deaths in India. The vaccines against them are given in combination (DPT in children, Td/Tdap in adolescents and adults).