How many people are immunocompromised?

And what are the trends?

In searching for answers I found this, from 2015, by Theo Schall: How Many Americans are Immunocompromised?

The answer seems to be "no one really knows, because it's not tracked".

There may be other advanced economies where this is tracked, does anyone know?

So what are the causes? Schall writes:

Quote:

Patients can either be born with an immune deficiency or they can acquire one. While it’s relatively rare to be born with an immune deficiency, over 200 different hereditary and genetic defects can cause a “primary” immunodeficiency. Acquired immune deficiency also has a variety of causes, including cancer and its treatments, the immunosuppressant drugs taken by transplant recipients and people with autoimmune disorders, malnutrition, aging, and HIV/AIDS.

In terms of trends, I imagine/guess that the population incidence of primary immune deficiency has likely increased somewhat, over the past half century or so, because more is known than back then and it's less of a death sentence for babies and toddlers.

The population incidence for several of the acquired immune deficiency causes (if that makes sense) has also increased; 50 years ago there were ~no people with HIV/AIDS (in the US anyway), nor transplant recipients; too, fewer cancer survivors (or even patients). For autoimmune disorders, malnutrition, and aging?

What surprised me somewhat is just how many people (again, in the US at least) are likely to be immunocompromised.

via International Skeptics Forum http://bit.ly/2IorzR5