Which patients would be considered immunosuppressed?

• A. 3-year-old recently post-op on steroids
• B. Healthy adult
• C. Athlete
• D. Teen with allergy

Answer: (A)

Immunosuppression happens when the body's defenses are dampened, such as from medications that suppress the immune system. Systemic steroids at the time of or after surgery blunt multiple immune pathways, including reduced lymphocyte activity and impaired macrophage function, and they hinder wound healing. A young child who’s recently had surgery and is on steroids is actively immunosuppressed, which increases vulnerability to infections and can blunt typical infection signs. The other scenarios describe individuals with normal or reactive immune systems—healthy adults, athletes, or teens with allergies—who are not immunosuppressed, even though allergies involve an immune response, it doesn’t mean the overall immune system is suppressed.