What Is 5th Disease?
Reviewed: Dr. Gromatzky
8. Weakened Immunity
5th disease is not a serious infection for most people, and our immune systems will usually be able to handle it alone. This is not always the case for everybody, however, as some people will have an immune system that is significantly weakened.
People with HIV in particular are at risk of complications from 5th disease. Some cancer treatments will also cause the patient’s immune system to be weaker than usual. When people have recently had an organ transplant there is a risk of their immune system rejecting the organ. Medication is provided to help prevent this, and this too can leave people particularly vulnerable to 5th disease.
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