immunosuppression

American  

[im-yuh-noh-suh-presh-uhn, ih-myoo-] / ˌɪm yə noʊ səˈprɛʃ ən, ɪˌmyu- /

noun

Pathology.

1. the inhibition of the normal immune response because of disease, the administration of drugs, or surgery.

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immunosuppression British  

/ ˌɪmjʊnəʊsəˈprɛʃən /

noun

1. medical suppression of the body's immune system, esp in order to reduce the likelihood of rejection of a transplanted organ

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immunosuppression Scientific  

/ ĭm′yə-nō-sə-prĕsh′ən,ĭ-myo̅o̅′- /

1. Suppression of the body's immune response, as by drugs or radiation, in order to prevent the rejection of grafts or transplants or to treat autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus.

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Other Word Forms

• immunosuppressed adjective

Etymology

Origin of immunosuppression

First recorded in 1960–65; immuno- + suppression

Example Sentences

She said some people were more susceptible to complications from measles than others, including small babies under the age of one, pregnant women and people with immunosuppression.

From BBC • May 28, 2025

"These results give us new insights into how we might further engineer pig organs for transplant, or tailor immunosuppression treatments to improve tolerance of a foreign organ."

From Science Daily • May 21, 2024

As a result, "we are subjecting some patients to a lot of medications that cause immunosuppression and yet have little chance of making their symptoms better," Orange says.

From Science Daily • Apr. 11, 2024

In 2014, she was diagnosed with a genetic condition—so rare that it has no name—that caused immunosuppression, bouts of volatile blood pressure, and peripheral vision loss.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 4, 2023

There were a few more xenotransplants in the 1990s, but it became clear that better immunosuppression alone would not solve the problem.

From Scientific American • Oct. 19, 2023