A functioning immune system is vital to preventing disease and keeping you healthy. Immune deficiencies can be caused by injury or genetics, and your body is not able to fight infection. Linchitz Medical Wellness in Westbury, New York, specialize in autoimmune disorders, oncoimmunology, and regenerative medicine. The physicians pay particular attention to diseases that affect the immune system and share some of the clinical features of immune deficiencies.

Immune deficiencies can be characterized by increased infections that are recurrent. These infections can be accompanied by a low-grade fever and achiness. Often the infection can present without other explanations and can be severe.

Autoimmune disorders are an abnormality in your body's immunity response to healthy cells. The Regulatory T cells, which are supposed to keep your immune system in shape don’t function properly, and they see your healthy cells as invaders. This causes the normal cells to be destroyed and limits the immune system's ability to work correctly.

Autoimmune disorders can affect your entire body including your joints, thyroid, stomach, and intestines. They can cause widespread pain over your entire body or be specific to some areas. There are more than 80 known types of autoimmune disorders, and your chances of being diagnosed with one are higher if you fall into one of several higher risk categories.  These high-risk categories include: having a family history of an autoimmune disorder, being a woman of childbearing age, working in a field with environmental exposures to chemicals or the elements, or belonging to a particular race or ethnicity. 

If you have immune deficiencies due to aging, infection, cancer, diabetes or medicines, your risk of acquiring an autoimmune disorder can also increase. Also, primary immune deficiencies, which are present at birth and are often first discovered by an increase in recurring infections, make you more susceptible to an eventual autoimmune disorder. 

If you want to learn more about immune deficiencies, their features, and how they can present as autoimmune disorders, call for an appointment with Linchitz Medical Wellness at (516) 759-4200. If you are interested in learning more about immunology, regenerative medicine, and cancer immunotherapy, visit them online.