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immunodeficiency

immunodeficiency

4 6.9
A condition in which the body's defence system is weak and cannot fight infections well
  • noun
  • /ˌɪmjunəʊdɪˈfɪʃənsi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : inmunodeficiencia
  • Although Down syndrome is an immunodeficiency condition, fungal infection is rare in these patients.
  • immunodeficiency virus
  • human immunodeficiency
  • immunodeficiency syndrome

Examples

  • I have severe combined immunodeficiency.

  • It's called severe combined immunodeficiency.

  • If you had that kind of severe immunodeficiency, you probably would have suffered more than myocarditis.

  • The name that stuck to the causative agent was the human immunodeficiency virus, HIV.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Whether the increased predisposition to bacteremia is due to an immunodeficiency state related to HIV has not been clearly proven.

    Academic text (2007)
  • But more importantly, we've picked up a heretofore unrecognized immunodeficiency condition.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • The patient was started on intravenous acyclovir and tested for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

    Academic text (2006)
  • Their definition of immunodeficiency involved patients with HIV, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, and sarcoidosis.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Rotavirus vaccine, however, is currently contraindicated in infants with severe combined immunodeficiency due to reports of vaccine-acquired rotavirus infection.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Many patients with immunodeficiency are at a higher risk for infections.

Synonyms

immunological disorder
vsimmunodeficiency
  • Specialized
5.9

A disease that makes the body's defence system attack itself or stop working properly

is a specific immune failure that reduces resistance to infections

Antonyms

immunocompetence
  • Specialized
8.1

Ability of the body to make a normal defence against germs and to respond to vaccines

Compounds

1 3.4

A virus that attacks the body's defence system by destroying important immune cells and causes AIDS

A rare inherited illness that makes the body's defence against infections very weak

A rare condition passed from parents that makes babies unable to fight infections and often deadly without treatment

How Severe

immunodeficiency
  • Specialized
4 6.9

Surface Forms

Morphology

immunodeficiency = deficiency (transparent) = immuno + deficiency

The term denotes a deficiency of the immune system and is directly analyzable as 'immuno-' (immune) + 'deficiency', so learners who know those parts can infer the meaning.

Etymology

The word immunodeficiency is made of immuno- ('immune', 'protected') and deficiency ('lack' or 'not enough'). So it means the body does not have enough immune protection, which is why people with immunodeficiency get more infections.