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Immunosuppressive drugs, immunosuppressive agents, or immunosuppressants are drugs that inhibit or prevent activity of the immune system. They are used in immunosuppressive therapy to:

  • Prevent the rejection of transplanted organs and tissues (e.g., bone marrow, heart, kidney, liver)
  • Treat autoimmune diseases or diseases that are most likely of autoimmune origin (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Crohn's disease, pemphigus, and ulcerative colitis).
  • Treat some other non-autoimmune inflammatory diseases (e.g., long term allergic Asthma control).

These drugs are not without side-effects and risks. Because the majority of them act non-selectively, the immune system is less able to resist infections and the spread of malignant cells. There are also other side-effects, such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, peptic ulcers, liver, and kidney injury. The immunosuppressive drugs also interact with other medicines and affect their metabolism and action. Actual or suspected immunosuppressive agents can be evaluated in terms of their effects on lymphocyte subpopulations in tissues using immunohistochemistry.[1]

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12y ago

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Immunosuppressant drugs greatly decrease the risks of rejection, protecting the new organ and preserving its function. These drugs act by blocking the immune system so that it is less likely to react against the transplanted organ.

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14y ago
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used to prevent the body from rejecting a transplanted organ.immunosuppressant drugs are also used to treat such severe skin disorders as psoriasis and such other diseases as rheumatoid arthritis,Crohn's disease.and patchy hair loss (alopecia areata)

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12y ago
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Some immunosuppressants are also used to treat a variety of autoimmune diseases:.Azathioprine (Imuran).Cyclosporin (Sandimmune, Neoral).Glatiramer acetate (Copaxone).Mycopehnolate (CellCept).Sirolimus (Rapamune)

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14y ago
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The four main categories of immunosuppressant drugs currently used in treating patients.Cyclosporins (Neoral, Sandimmune, SangCya). Azathioprines (Imuran). Monoclonal antibodies.Such corticosteroids as prednisolone (Deltasone, Orasone)

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14y ago
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Immunosuppressant drugs, also called anti-rejection drugs, are used to prevent the body from rejecting a transplanted organ.

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14y ago
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Immunosuppressive-- Any agent that suppresses the immune response of an individual.

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14y ago
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A drug that lowers the body's normal immune response.

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11y ago
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Most of the people who use immunosuppressive drugs have transplanted organs, so their bodies won't reject the new organ.

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Wiki User

15y ago
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