Dysfunction of the leukocytes: White blood cells do not perform their immune tasks adequately
In the case of a leukocyte dysfunction, the white blood cells do not perform their functions adequately. The associated tasks come from different areas of the non-specific and specific immune system of the body. The respective function depends on the specific subgroup of leukocytes.
Medicine therefore knows several forms of a leukocyte dysfunction. The best-known examples are autoimmune diseases , leukemia and HIV infection.
Different types of leukocytes with different functions
Leukocytes, known as white blood cells, are part of the body’s specific and non-specific immune system. They destroy pathogens, fungi, tumor cells, worms or foreign substances. The leukocytes are divided into several types. The quantitative majority in the blood is accounted for by the neutrophilic granulocytes , the B lymphocytes and the T lymphocytes. Each type has its own mode of operation, which is why different functional disorders occur in each case.
Functional disorders of the neutrophilic granulocytes: the microbes do not digest
The neutrophilic granulocytes are part of the non-specific immune defence. In the event of an infection, the granulocytes move to the appropriate location and absorb the microbes. The latter trigger the infection in the tissue.
A leukocyte dysfunction in the granulocytes is present in a so-called septic granulomatosis. In the case of the rare hereditary disease, the neutrophilic granulocytes migrate to the site of infection and absorb the microbes, but the pathogen’s subsequent digestive process malfunctions. As a result, the leukocytes mentioned no longer contribute as intended to the body’s immune system. The affected patients are threatened with critical courses of infection.
Disturbances in the functioning of the T-lymphocytes
B lymphocytes are the only cells in the human body that are able to form antibodies against pathogens. They recognize foreign antigens and then produce suitable antibodies. Together with the B lymphocytes, the T lymphocytes form the body’s acquired immune system.
The T cells recognize changes or foreign substances on the surfaces of the body’s cells. A cell surface changes, for example, as a result of a mutation or an infection by a virus. The function subsequently performed depends on the subtype of T lymphocytes. So-called T-killer cells destroy all identified diseased cells. On the other hand, the T helper cells use messenger substances, which in turn alert other immune cells.
If the T-lymphocytes perform their tasks incorrectly, there is a leukocyte dysfunction. In this context, several diseases are considered potential triggers. Some children are born with congenital immune defects. This requires an absolutely germ-free environment when caring for the newborn. A transplant of healthy bone marrow is required to ensure that the affected babies have a long-term chance of survival.
In addition to the inherited defects, various infections lead to a functional disorder in the T lymphocytes. This includes the disease HIV. The human immunodeficiency virus infects the T cells and ultimately leads to AIDS. Between the infection and the outbreak, the number of T helper cells decreases permanently until the immune system fails. In addition, functional disorders such as adult T-cell leukemia are threatened by the two pathogens HTLV I and HTLV II .
In addition, T lymphocytes are associated with autoimmune diseases. These are diseases in which the immune system mistakenly attacks its own body and destroys healthy cells. Examples are diabetes mellitus (type 1) and multiple sclerosis.
In addition, some drugs have a detrimental effect on the functioning of T-lymphocytes. This applies, for example, to cell-killing or growth-inhibiting drugs. They damage T cells and other types of white blood cells. This makes it clear that a leukocyte dysfunction is not necessarily limited to individual species, but sometimes affects several subgroups. As a result, medicine knows several leukemias in which different subgroups of leukocytes change into tumor cells.
Summary:
The specific type of leukocyte dysfunction depends on the affected subgroup
Leukocytes include different types of white blood cells . Each subgroup has different tasks in the body’s immune system. As a result, there are known leukocyte dysfunctions in every species if the immune defense does not take place as intended.
Medical note for our readers:
