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Immunotherapy autoimmune side effects


Immunotherapy autoimmune side effects occur by tissue or function destruction of an organ or multiple organs due to the humoral or cellular immune responses of the individual to his tissue constituents.

Autoimmune-related side effects vary in onset, duration, severity, and underlying biology. In addition, it affects a broad range of organs. Hence, it requires a specific management approach. Side effects can occur during the immunotherapy, during the first three months, or after immunotherapy has been discontinued.

The potential side effects of immunotherapy usually result from an overstimulated or misdirected immune response. The side effects include

autoimmune side effects

How bad are my immunotherapy autoimmune side effects?

Mild Asymptomatic; serologic or other evidence of autoimmune reaction, with normal organ function; intervention not indicated.

Moderate evidence of autoimmune reaction involving a non-essential organ or function (e.g., hypothyroidism)

Severe Autoimmune reactions involving significant organs (e.g., colitis, anemia, myocarditis, kidney)

How to manage mild to moderate side effects?

  • You may temporarily or permanently take off treatment to reduce the hyperimmune activity.
  • You may receive steroids or immunosuppressive antibodies for checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapies. It dampens immune activity and minimizes potential damage from any further autoimmune reactions.
  • You can manage various potential side effects with early intervention. Therefore, you must report any adverse health or overall well-being changes to the healthcare team as soon as you notice them.

How to manage severe autoimmune side effects?

Inform the doctors as soon as there are visible changes in your external body appearance, health, or overall physiological state after being treated with immunotherapy.

Does autoimmune disease increase the risk of autoimmune side effects?

  • It depends on a case-to-case basis
  • Flares of the pre-existing disease may occur
  • Autoimmune side effects are not necessarily the same as pre-existing autoimmune diseases.
  • Limited information is available on this topic.

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DISCLAIMER: No part of this content constitutes medical advice, opinion, or should be used for medical decision making without consultation with a licenced medical practitioner and under a patient-provider relationship. All information on the website is provided without any claims of accuracy. For full terms and conditions, visit this link. Content curated by the Ankr team.

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