Clinical Immunopathology is one of the branches of immunology. It deals only with the immune system and diseases that affect it. This field of study emphasizes on identifying and managing disease agents rather than focusing on symptoms. The objective of this branch of immunology is to understand the role of the immune system and help develop strategies for managing, handling and fighting any disease agents.
Autoimmune diseases: Autoimmune disorders of the periphery mucosal organs, including the eye, lungs, liver, etc. are some of the most common auto immune diseases, which are studied. Clinical immunopathology of such diseases helps in early identification, management and treatment. Some of the common diseases in the niche of immunopathology are allergic conjunctivitis, hepatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic hepatitis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, lupus nephritis, anaemia, anemia, thyroid dysfunction, meningitis, etc. These diseases can be prevented and treated using the appropriate therapies. Thus, immunopathology is important for every immuno-physiological health system.
Clinical Immunopathology of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is yet another field in immunology which is gaining ground. Systemic lupus erythematosus is a broad spectrum autoimmune disorder which involves the body's immune response to an external threat (usually infectious agents) in the form of swelling, redness, skin rash, fever and pain. It can also involve the joints, lungs, kidneys, heart and eye. In SLE, clinical immunopathology helps in detecting and monitoring the progression of the disease, and in evaluating its outcome. It also helps in dealing with complications such as organ failure, neurological damage and permanent disability due to SLE.
The study of clinical immunopathology is a part of the Medical College of Georgia's curriculum. Medical students looking forward to becoming medical doctors have to undergo rigorous training in immunology. For this purpose, they are taught and introduced to various diagnostic and pharmacological modalities. During the course, they are exposed to various forms of treatments including therapeutic vaccines, immune assays, cytokines, biologic tests, etc. Clinical training requires students to be highly meticulous about the quality of diagnostic and therapeutic test they use in their clinical laboratory activities.
Clinical Immunopathology deals with the study of the immune system in health disorders. This field studies the role of the immune system in maintaining physiological and pathological health. An abnormal immune system can result in various medical conditions like allergic diseases, cancer, diabetes, obesity, mental retardation, and autoimmunity, infertility, etc. Clinical Immunopathology prepares students to handle various autoimmune disorders using sophisticated methods of investigation.
In immunology, students have to concentrate on determining the role of genetic, lifestyle, environmental, and dietary factors in immunity to various diseases. These factors affect the frequency of immune responses and hence contribute in the development of diseases like cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, asthma, etc. It also determines the frequency of spinal fluid immunoglobulin abnormalities that indicate the presence of various diseases like Alzheimer's disease, Parkinsons disease, multiple sclerosis, etc. Asbestos is a known cause of severe lung infections. In immunology courses, students are trained to detect the causes of spinal fluid immunoglobulin abnormalities that are characteristic of Aspergillus infection and filariasis.
In immunopathology courses, students are taught how to use differential medical instruments for various skin diseases, e.g., Varicose veins, spider veins, warts, etc. They are also trained how to perform differential diagnosis, standardize the culture procedures, specimen preparation procedures, immunoglobulin abnormalities, etc. Clinical immunopathologists should also undergo special training in microbiology to assess the scope of infections. They should be able to identify diseases through differential diagnosis, microbiological testing procedures and identify specific pathogens.
The research work in clinical immunopathology division faculty is focused towards developing novel tests that can help in the diagnosis of inflammatory diseases and allergies. In addition, the clinical research has great scope in developing vaccines and other potential treatments for many types of chronic disorders. For those who want to pursue post doctoral degrees in this field, a minimum of 3 years of residency training is required in the field.
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