Wiskott—Aldrich Syndrome—Immune System and Disorders

Your immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to defend against germs. It helps your body to recognize these “foreign” invaders. Then its job is to keep them out, or if it can’t, to find and destroy them.

If your immune system cannot do its job, the results can be serious. Disorders of the immune system include

• Allergy and asthma – immune responses to substances that are usually not harmful
• Immune deficiency diseases – disorders in which the immune system is missing one or more of its parts
• Autoimmune diseases – diseases causing your immune system to attack your own body’s cells and tissues by mistake

NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

• Agammaglobulinemia (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Aging changes in immunity (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Chronic granulomatous disease (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Graft-versus-host disease (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Histiocytosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Hyperimmunoglobulin E syndrome (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Immune response (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Immunodeficiency disorders (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Selective deficiency of IgA (Medical Encyclopedia)

Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome is characterized by abnormal immune system function (immune deficiency) and a reduced ability to form blood clots. This condition primarily affects males.Individuals with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome have microthrombocytopenia, which is a decrease in the number and size of blood cell fragments involved in clotting (platelets). This platelet abnormality, which is typically present from birth, can lead to easy bruising or episodes of prolonged bleeding following minor trauma.Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome causes many types of white blood cells, which are part of the immune system, to be abnormal or nonfunctional, leading to an increased risk of several immune and inflammatory disorders. Many people with this condition develop eczema, an inflammatory skin disorder characterized by abnormal patches of red, irritated skin. Affected individuals also have an increased susceptibility to infection. People with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome are at greater risk of developing autoimmune disorders, which occur when the immune system malfunctions and attacks the body’s own tissues and organs. The chance of developing some types of cancer, such as cancer of the immune system cells (lymphoma), is also greater in people with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome.