My Immune System is Killing Me
Most living organisms have immune systems that help them stay alive and healthy. But there are times when the immune response overshoots the boundary and becomes dangerous and even lethal to “self “. We know this because during this pandemic, many people are dying not only because of weak immune system but due to overactive immune response. A physiological phenomenon called “cytokine storm” that was unknown 50-60 years ago, is now commonly talked about during the coronavirus pandemic. Before we talk about the abnormal, lets learn a little bit about the normal immune system. Immune system is both “innate” (that we are born with) and acquired (we develop it over our lifetime). It is also classified as cellular (where the main players are cells) and humoral (where the main actors are proteins called antibodies). Innate immune system recognizes tissues that are “self” and rejects or destroys those that are “foreign”. A good example is blood group. An individual who inheri...