#PrimeInterview: What are the medications that affect immune system? | Dr Christopher Kong San Choon

Q: What are the medication that affect my immune system? There are various medications that can affect the immune system or suppressed and compromised the ability of the body to fight infection. Common medication that that though there’s a steroids and chemotherapy for cancer. Steroid is a very cost-effective medication that’s been used for many years. Common illnesses that need to steroids are auto-immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) or known as Lupus commonly and inflammatory vile disease. Chronic lung condition like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease needs steroids to calm the inflammation down the lungs so people can breathe better. The other big group of lung disease patients that need steroids are people who suffer from asthma. They do take steroids short-term, or for the most severed cases they need it for long term treatment. Interestingly, when covid struck 2years ago, there was very few medications that was stored to be able to treat covid. There was a medical study that it showed that the steroid called that’s —??— was very effective in reducing the number of patients that required oxygen supplementation to help them breathe. And also it helped the patients who required assisted breathing in an intensive care on ventilators to come off the ventilators faster. The study also showed that steroids reduced the length of stay in the hospital as well. However, as steroids suppresses the immune system, it may cause a latent infection to flare like Hepatitis B. Is more important to see if the patient requires hydro steroids and for how long. Or the does of the steroids maybe lower dose for a slightly prolonged period, may not cause any problem and all. However, we need to be aware that steroids although is a very good medication suppresses the immune system. Latent infection like Hepatitis B may get reactivated and cause problems in the body like inflammation of the liver. The dose of and the length of treatment of the steroid is very important . If it’s a low dose, it may not cause a flare of the Hepatitis B. Or is this a very shortterm treatment let just say there’s a few days than the Hepatitis B flare rest is low. When a person is diagnosed with cancer all we see is there such strong emotion in the patient and in the family members. Chemotherapy should be started as soon as possible because sometime is started before surgery. So they don’t know they need a chemotherapy before the surgery but also some people will need chemotherapy after surgery as well. It is very important that there’s nothing to stop the starting chemotherapy and nothing to interrupt the course of the prescribed chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is known to suppress the immune system and this may cause latent infection like hepatitis B to flare. We know that certain chemotherapy like —?—— versus monochloro antibody to white cells can have a very high rate flare of latent infection like Hepatitis B. The newer chemotherapy like the immune checkpoint inhabitors are also now suspected to cause problems with latent infection like Hepatitis B. Immune checkpoint inhabitors are very good chemotherapy agents and have been used for a widerange of cancers like breast cancer, lung cancer and colon cancer. Thus it’s important that before a person started on any immune suppressing medications such as steroids and chemotherapy. The person is check for latent infection like Hepatitis B. This is to ensure that the chemortherapy, that means started as soon as possible and that they can progress along smoothly with the prescribed course of chemotherapy. Oversee any delay or any interruption chemotherapy will cause anxiety in the patient and in the family members as well. --- About Prime Magazine Prime Magazine is a leading publication that covers a wide range of health and wellness topics, from the latest medical breakthroughs to practical advice on healthy living. Our articles are written by experienced health professionals and are designed to provide readers with reliable and up-to-date information that can help them lead healthier, more fulfilling lives. Get exclusive access to life-changing health breakthroughs and expert wellness tips. Follow us today! -Website: https://prime.sg -Facebook:   / primemagsg   -Instagram:   / prime_sg   -LinkedIn:   / primemagazine   -Tik Tok:   / magazineprime