A big part of the problem in medicine is the lack of good targeting technology. This thought occurred to me as I was lamenting how slowly my steroids were reversing an autoimmune hemolytic anemia today. If only I could target the exact antibody that was consuming the red cells! Was the antibody directed against a red cell membrane protein, or a lipid component? I have no way of finding that out clinically, let alone selecting that bad antibody for destruction. As I explained to the patient, the immune system's making too much of the bad antibody, and not enough of the good antibodies.
A big part of the problem in medicine is the lack of good targeting technology. This thought occurred to me as I was lamenting how slowly my steroids were reversing an autoimmune hemolytic anemia today. If only I could target the exact antibody that was consuming the red cells! Was the antibody directed against a red cell membrane protein, or a lipid component? I have no way of finding that out clinically, let alone selecting that bad antibody for destruction. As I explained to the patient, the immune system's making too much of the bad antibody, and not enough of the good antibodies.You are reading a Blog Post from "Reflections" Thoughts about Medicine, Community, India, Tamil Nadu, Exams, Computers by Dr.Bruno