Immune system and mixed people.

[catgirl]

Dec 16, 2008 14:27:22 GMT -5 quiapo said:

CAtgirl - chicken pox in adults is more likely to be severe, compared to childhood cases, and sede effects are also more common - hepatic. renal, impairment, cerebral oedema. In Austrlai abut one person a year dies from chicken pox, and about 450 a year require hospital treatment.

Why is it so? I thought childrens immune systems were weaker?

[quiapo]

Catgirl. I am not sure if children's immune system is necessarily "weaker" , except for very young children; perhaps children's immune systems are more adaptive than adults; for instance, shingles, which is said to come from latent chicken pox virus, occurs in later adult life.
It is also possible that a more developed immune system will result in a more sever reaction, which may cause the greater severity of the illness among adults. Scarring for instance, is said to be more severe among adults.

[catgirl]

Dec 16, 2008 15:48:34 GMT -5 quiapo said:

Catgirl. I am not sure if children's immune system is necessarily "weaker" , except for very young children; perhaps children's immune systems are more adaptive than adults; for instance, shingles, which is said to come from latent chicken pox virus, occurs in later adult life.
It is also possible that a more developed immune system will result in a more sever reaction, which may cause the greater severity of the illness among adults. Scarring for instance, is said to be more severe among adults.

But the chickenpox virus can also lead to meningitis. I heard that people who had very few chickenpox when they had it had a greater chance of not becoming immune enough after it, and could risk getting meningits from the virus later or something. Some teacher said it at nursing school some time ago.

Children get sick all the time, like in kindergarden and at school usually. I think your immune system learns from the previous exposures to virus and bacterias and becomes more immune towards them. So I would guess that children would have a little bit weaker immune systems than adults?

They get sick all the time in kindergarden and the early years at school. But maybe its from playing in the dirt also?

[Subuatai]

meningitis

That one scares me, and I should get a vaccine for that just in case o.O

Wait, I might be confusing that with mellingicockal (How do you spell it??)

[cjsdad]

The meningitis vaccine is recommended for pre-adolescents as well as those living in close quarters such as college freshmen.
www.cdc.gov/meningitis/bacterial/faqs.htm#meningitis

It is important to note that this vaccine does NOT protect one from all forms of meningitis, as the disease can have multiple organisms as the root cause.
The name is simply descriptive of ANY infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord.

As to chickenpox, the most common reason cited in the literature for the more serious complications in adults has to do with the greater liklihood that the adult is immunocompromised to begin with. A healthy child will experience a relatively mild form of the disease, while the adult is often but not always contending with other assaults on his/her immune system.
Adults make up the relatively few fatalities associated with the disease, and these are again frequently those in bad shape already, and the very elderly. Even flu kills 100s of thousands in these categories.

The difference between the US and other countries with regard to the use of the chickenpox vaccine is really the most interesting debate with regard to this common disease.

www.hmc.psu.edu/healthinfo/c/chickenpox.htm

[cjsdad]

Again, any viral or bacterial illness, including the one (varicella zoster/herpes) responsible for chickenpox CAN cause meningitis, as it is a description of a condition, not a disease with a SPECIFIC cause.

More than likely your meningitis was not caused by that exposure. Could have, but I doubt it. I'd need more info on timing.

More likely your exposure at a young age to chickenpox allowed you to contract a subacute case (so mild you and your parents thought you just had a cold) and thus transfered immunity.
I'd still get a titer done to see if you do in fact have immunity, and if not either consider staying the hell away from anyone clearly symptomatic, or consider vaccination (depending on your career/risks).

[cjsdad]

Ah.

Well, I'd still say your meningitis was unrelated to chickenpox/varicella zoster.
Could even have been the common and peculiar aseptic meningitis.
www.aafp.org/afp/990515ap/2761.html

Still think your immunity came from a subacute case somewhere along the line, as the link between meningitis and chickenpox immunity can only be made if the causitive agent can be linked directly to a case of chickenpox at the time of meningitis diagnosis.

[catgirl]

I almost died from a vaccine when I was 10 months old. I dont really know what kind of vaccine it was, but luckily its taken off the childrens health program now!

I had a fever after the first shot, and there was another shot again which I developed severe fever and cramps from. It was really high for along time, and the doctors thought I was going to die Scary....

[Chris]

^ Glad your alive.

I get sick about once a year at the most. It may be because of mixed genes but my dad has a super immune system as well and that could be it. With genetic illnesses, my mother is an anemic (you tend to have low iron levels in your system, hence affecting the bloods ability to carry oxygen to its maximum potential) but her disorder has passed down to me either.

[Shock]

Biracial Asian-Americans are twice as likely as monoracial Asian-Americans to be diagnosed with a psychological disorder, U.S. researchers said.

www.manilamaildc.net/2008/08/29/ills-of-mixed-race-diagnosed/

The odds of a patient of any minority heritage, or combination of heritages, being able to find a BMT donor when needed are extremely small

www.mavin.net/projects/matchmaker.html

[alphamikefoxtrot]

I knew all you f***ers were crazy. ;D

[cm]

Dec 28, 2008 9:22:10 GMT -5 Shock said:

Biracial Asian-Americans are twice as likely as monoracial Asian-Americans to be diagnosed with a psychological disorder, U.S. researchers said.

www.manilamaildc.net/2008/08/29/ills-of-mixed-race-diagnosed/

The odds of a patient of any minority heritage, or combination of heritages, being able to find a BMT donor when needed are extremely small

www.mavin.net/projects/matchmaker.html

That's because the mixed person is more likely westernized, and thus more likely to accept psychiatric help, or to go and get diagnosed in the first place.

[Shock]

The study speaks about percentages, not about total numbers.

[quiapo]

"Psychological disorder" is such a broad classification that I wonder at its usefulness.
Also diagnostic norms may not be applicable cross culturally, particularly for the minor conditions. Europeans use !CD 10, while Americans use DSM IV as their diagnostic criteria, and there are significant differences.

[cm]

Jan 2, 2009 8:14:31 GMT -5 Shock said:

The study speaks about percentages, not about total numbers.

Exactly. And a higher percentage of westernized Hapas are more likely to have the funding and cultural belief to see a shrink, than say a recent Guamanian immigrant.